Shattered Universe Titan AE Twilight
by Specter06
Summary: After the creation of New Earth, mysterious attacks seem to occur in the quadrant. The Valkyrie rushes in to investigate a strange spatial phenomenon. What they find changes their lives and the fate of the entire universe forever. REVIEWS ARE WELCOME!
1. General Idea & Updates

**Update 15-03-2012**

First I want to thank Swashbucklist for pointing out the flaws this story has and for being so honest with me. The story needs a major rewrite I know. When I started working on this thing I was totally inexperienced in the world of story writing and already had a lot of trouble getting it as it is now. But it could still use in improvement on many fronts and now, while writing the second story I'm going through all of this again. I'm starting the rewrite and you can keep track of any progress I made here:

**Story database and chapters 1-25 have been revised. Wow, it was quite a while ago since I last updated this story with a revised chapter. This time it was chapter 25's turn. Can't say it wasn't needed. I changed quite a bit, especially the dialogue. The characters should feel much more natural now. Next chapter will be done ASAP.**

**Don't hesitate to point things out to me. I need critics who can help me improve this stuff.**

**Update 19-04-2010**

Well this will be the last update as the last chapter is up. I've made the soundtrack of the story available for download. You can find the link on my profile page. It'll probably take a while before I have written enough stuff to begin posting another story. I'm currently working on a funny little one-shot with the characters from this one. I'll post it online soon but knowing myself, it's probably gonna be a rather long one-shot. Thanks for reading my stuff and thereby helping to keep Titan A.E. alive. There are still some people out there who can remember and appreciate this great movie with a lot of potential for story-writing. Bye everyone and don't forget to leave your comments as it will help me to make the next story even better.

**Update 18-04-2010**

Chapter 45 is up. Oh, before I forget, for those of you who don't know who Myrzah is, she was added later to the beginning of chapter 14. I still felt that Kero's family missed something. Someone old and wise. That just about covers it. Only one more chapter to go and I'll post it tomorrow. Damn, I can't believe that this is coming to an end. What a project. I'm currently trying to force my mind to come up with ideas for a sequel. I have something planned but not sure if I should do it.

**Update 17-04-2010**

Chapter 44 is up. I will post the last two chapters ASAP. Don't have a lot of time at the moment but will post them as soon as I have time. I was thinking about what to write next. This is far from over but I don't know if I should write a sequel. I have a lot of idea's to work out and it could make a wonderful follow-up but I wanna know what the readers think. Is it worth a sequel? I'll finish first and then I'll start thinking about it.

**Update 10-04-2010**

Chapter 43 posted. I've been working on the final chapter and I will post the last ones as soon as everything's finished. I'm going to finish it in the upcoming week.

**Update 03-04-2010**

I've cleaned up the updates page once more and I've posted chapter 42 for you guys and girls to read. I've turned 19 last week and it's close to a year since I turned this whole idea into words. It won't take long before it's finished. I'm working on chapter 45. I will be adding an extra chapter so it will be 46 instead of 45 chapters in length. I just needed some extra space to squeeze a few important things in and I don't like to cut things short. ;)

**Shattered Universe© - Titan A.E. - Twilight**

**Story written by: Specter06**

**Based upon:**

**Titan A.E.**

**Directed By:**

**Don Bluth & Gary Goldman**

**Produced By**

**David Kirschner**

**Gary Goldman & Don Bluth**

**Screenplay By:**

**Ben Edlund**

**John August**

**Joss Whedon**

**Story By:**

**Hans Bauer**

**Randall McCormick**

**Original Score Composed By:**

**Graeme Revell**

**Music Supervisor:**

**Glen Ballard**

**Starring The Voice Talents Of:**

**Matt Damon - Cale**

**Bill Pullman - Korso**

**John Leguizamo - Gune**

**Nathan Lane - Preed**

**Janeane Garofalo - Stith**

**Drew Barrymore - Akima**

**Ron Perlman - Professor Sam Tucker**

**Alex D. Linz - Young Cale**

**Tone-Löc - Tek**

**Jim Breuer - The Cook**

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own, any of the original Titan A.E. characters nor the Titan universe. Those are all the property of 20th Century Fox. The ideas of most of the other universes are also property of their original creators. This story is based on both real facts, from the Titan A.E. movie and novels and fan-based creations I once found lingering around on the internet. These fan-based facts like species, races and planets are not my property, belong to their original creators and were once used in fanfictions and roleplay back in 2000. I want to thank the people whoever they are for their contribution to the underdeveloped Titan A.E. universe. I have the deepest respect for their creations and I don't want to misuse them by claiming them as my own.

**Tribute:**

This story is not only a tribute to Titan A.E. and all of its fans but also to the entire science fiction genre, its fans and its creators.

**Special thanks:**

Special thanks to: Every fan of Titan A.E., every other SF fan or creator. Without them it wouldn't have been possible.

Andromeda: Gene Roddenberry

Babylon 5: J. Michael Straczynski

Battlestar Galactica 1978: Glen A. Larson

Battlestar Galactica 2004: David Eick & Ronald D. Moore

Firefly: Joss Whedon

Stargate Atlantis: Brad Wright & Robert C. Cooper

Stargate SG-1: Jonathan Glassner & Brad Wright

Star Trek: Gene Roddenberry

Star Wars: George Lucas

Supreme Commander: Chris Taylor

The list goes on… in eternity. If you have more suggestions…

**The story:**

I have been wandering around with this idea for very long time now. I think I just didn't have the courage to start writing until my 18th birthday. It takes up a lot of my mind so I just started writing it off of me. It has been locked up for too long now. I just didn't know where to start but the Titan A.E. universe looked like the perfect place to begin since this universe is a bit underdeveloped. Thanks to massive fandom it survived the years but most Titan A.E. sites are offline, finally after 9 years everyone seems to have forgot about Titan. It's a shame, but I guess all good things come to an end…

Enough boring pessimism for now, over to the story itself.

This is more of a 'what if'… story. What if parallel universes exist and they are somehow colliding with each other creating trans-dimensional distortions, passageways, providing access to other universes, alternate realities, different versions of Earth?

After the creation of New Earth, mysterious attacks from unknown species seem to occur in the quadrant. The remaining crew of the human starship _Valkyrie_ rescues a Mantrin Captain from his derelict patrol vessel. After given the location of a strange spatial phenomenon, the _Valkyrie_ is rushing in to investigate. What they find will change their lives and the fate of the entire universe forever.

**Music:**

**The story includes a soundtrack. Take a look at my profile page for the Dropbox download link. FanFiction doesn't support hyperlinks inside stories, probably for safety reasons.**


	2. Story Database

**Story Database (Will receive regular updates as the story progresses. It doesn't mean that you have to read the entire story database before beginning on the story, just look up things you wanna know a little more about.)**

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Characters (does not include Akima, Cale, Gune, Korso, Preed and Stith (I suggest you watch the movie for them)):

**Alex Pierce – **Jason Pierce's six year old son.

**Arthur Wallace –** Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Blond. Eye color: Light brown. Captain of the Federation starship USS _Shenandoah_.

**Ayko – **Species: Akrennian. Skin color: Dark brown. Hair color: - Eye color: Orange. Tough female Akrennian from the Trsh'ka clan, commanding the battlecruiser _Tsun'rhaa_.

**Azkun – **Species: Mantrin/Ryrjhii. Skin color: Black. Hair color: - Eye color: Yellow. Aggressive Ryrjhii female warrior of the Imperial Elite Assault Force.

**Brian Kenneth – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Blond. Eye color: Blue. Korso's First Officer aboard the RSS _Valkyrie_ with the rank of Commander.

**Charles McKenzie – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Brown. Eye color: Gray. Quartermaster of the Texas drifter colony.

**Chrysta Winter – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Blonde. Eye color: Deep green. Jason's Number One and First Officer aboard the Federation starship USS _Highlander_.

**Councilors Amanda Miller, Gary Richards, Jack Fuller and Marcus Taylor – **Members of the After Earth government together with the founders of the planet, Cale and Akima. The temporary government governs in the form of a council that comes together to make all the difficult decisions needed to rebuild society.

**Derek Reese – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Blond. Eye color: green. Tactical officer aboard the RSS _Valkyrie_ with the rank of Lieutenant.

**Djorath – **Species: Akrennian. Skin color: Gray. Hair color: blue (fur). Eye color: Yellowish. Cross-breed Akrennian stationed as tactical officer aboard the _Tsun'rhaa_.

**Freyu, Trezka and Itàn – **Rajah's bunkmates back at the compound of the EAF.

**Jah'len – **Species: Mantrin/Amadre. Skin color: Light green with black stripes. Hair color: - Eye color: Bluish green. Captain of the Imperial warship _Bokara_.

**Jason Pierce** **– **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Brown. Eye color: Brown. A young but nonetheless experienced Federation Captain from another universe. In command of the starship _Highlander_ since stardate 103774.2. Starfleet has placed Jason Pierce in command of the mission in the Titan Universe because of his outstanding services for both Starfleet and the Federation. He's a resourceful and capable officer with a clean record and a deserved reputation.

**Jessica Pierce – **Jason's Pierce's eight year old daughter.

**Jick'chii – **Species: Krach'thaa (animal). Skin color: Black. Hair color: - Eye color: Yellow. Ayko's Krach'thaa, a dog-sized dragon-like animal native to Akrennia certain Akrennians like to keep as pets. Their bite is toxic and lethal to those who don't get immediate medical attention.

**John Cunnington – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Brown (with traces of gray). Eye color: Grayish blue. Starfleet Admiral in direct command of starbase _Titan_ and all Starfleet fleet operations in the Titan universe.

**Jola – **Species: Mantrin/Sogowan cross. Skin color: Shades of brown. Hair color: - Eye color: Golden. Member of the Palace Guard.

**Jy'sen – **Species: Mantrin/Sogowan. Skin color: Brown. Hair color: - Eye color: Copper. Ambassador of the Imperial Guard.

**Galen – **Species: Mantrin/Soneth. Skin color: Chestnut with traces of a vague red. Black stripes on back, hips and part of his belly. Hair color: - Eye color: Orange/Yellow. Leading scientist of the Genesis project. Some say he's a bit nuts like all brilliant scientists are but the actual danger comes from his obsession with the project.

**Gregory Halloway – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Dark brown with traces of gray. Eye color: Green. Captain of the Europa class Federation starship _USS Capella_ and an old friend of Jason Pierce.

**Harry Ginsmore – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Black. Eye color: Dark brown. Bartender on New Earth.

**Ian Fredrickson – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Dark blond. Eye color: Blue. Captain of the Federation starship USS _Houston._

**Iyu – **Species: Akrennian. Skin color: Sand-colored. Hair color: - Eye color: Deep green. Female Akrennian ops. officer stationed aboard the _Tsun'rhaa_.

**Kero** **–** Species: Mantrin/Goureg. Skin color: Slate gray. Hair color: - Eye color: Bright blue. Prince of the Mantrin Empire. Captain of the Imperial patrol cruiser _Myrana_. Kero is a respected Captain of the Imperial Guard. He is different from other Mantrin males because of his gentle personality and the fact that he's not as trigger happy. Although he's a bit shy and reluctant sometimes, he can be really tough when his friends are in trouble and you can count on him if needed.

**Kevin Hestler – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Blond. Eye color: Dull green. New Earth military officer and _Dominator_ testpilot with the rank of Lieutenant.

**Kiké – **Species: Mantrin/Fjetahna. Skin color: Light brown with a light belly. Hair color: Brown-reddish. Eye color: Orange. A very young Mantrin officer stationed aboard the _Son of the Empire_. Her race is somewhat different than the others in the fact that Fjetahna are the only race known to grow hair. Kiké has a sister called Naea.

**Kirliya The Enlightened – **Species: Mantrin. Not really a person but the Mantrin goddess (although 'she' is actually genderless). They believe that Kirliya was the first Mantrin warrior and that she gave birth to their race.

**Klegg – **Species: Akrennian. Skin color: Brown-reddish. Hair color: - Eye color: Pale yellow. Bridge officer aboard the Akrennian battlecruiser _Tsun'rhaa_.

**Kryfar – **Species: Akrennian. Skin color: Army green. Hair color: - Eye color: Yellow. Ayko's arrogant First Officer who quickly becomes Preed's rival aboard the _Tsun'rhaa_.

**Kyra James – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Red. Eye color: Deep green. Commander at Texas Colony and a former military officer.

**Le'tan – **Species: Mantrin/Orketh. Skin color: Chestnut with dark stripes. Hair color: - Eye color: Orange. Warrior of the Imperial Elite Assault force.

**Majih – **Species: Mantrin/Lesser Arcanna. Skin color: Dark brown. Hair color: - Eye color: Indigo. Chief Engineer onboard the Imperial warship _Son of the Empire_.

**Ma'zan – **Species: Mantrin/Sogowan. Skin color: Brown. Hair color: - Eye color: Copper. Captain of the Imperial warship _Volari._

**Mestral – **Species: Mantrin/Sogowan. Skin color: Brown. Hair color: - Eye color: Copper. Stith's mother and once one of the finest female warriors in the Imperial Elite Assault Force. Mestral died years ago when Stith was still very young during a Drej attack on a colony of human survivors on Solbrecht. In a courageous attempt to guide a group of humans to safety she got caught in the crossfire and died.

**Mithras – **Species: Mantrin/Porlau. Skin color: Army green. Hair color: - Eye color: Yellow. General of the Imperial Elite Force and in command of all base operations.

**Myrzah – **Species: Mantrin/Goureg. Skin color: Slate gray. Hair color: - Eye color: Bright blue. Kero's grandmother and The'lah's mother. Myrzah is a master warrior that has participated in many great battles. She is very old, wise and friendly and is treated with the utmost respect.

**Naea – **Species: Mantrin/Fjetahna. Skin color: Light brown with a light belly. Hair color: Brown-reddish. Eye color: Orange. Kiké's older and more experienced sister stationed as a bridge officer onboard the _Son of the Empire_.

**Nunchaku – **Species: Mantrin/Ryrjhii. Skin color: Dark green with tan underbelly. Hair color: - Eye color: Golden yellow. A huge Mantrin stationed as a regular officer aboard the _Son of the Empire_. His strength is incredible.

**Otrin – **Species: Mantrin/Sogowan. Skin color: Brown. Hair color: - Eye color: Yellow. Commander of the Imperial Elite Assault Force.

**Phleg – **Species: Akrennian. Skin color: Grayish. Hair color: - Eye color: Blue. Akrennian Fleet Commander in command of the taskforce assigned to defend the Xirosa system.

**Rajah – **Species: Mantrin/Goureg. Skin color: Almost black. Hair color: - Eye color: Bright blue. Kero's brother and Prince of the Mantrin Empire.

**Rilas – **Species: Mantrin/Sogowan. Skin color: Brown. Hair color: - Eye color: Copper. First Officer aboard the Imperial warship _Son of the Empire_.

**Sandra Pierce – **Wife of Captain Jason Pierce back in his universe.

**Syran – **Species: Mantrin/Soneg. Skin color: Dark brown. Hair color: - Eye color: Very dark, almost black shade. Officer aboard the _Son of the Empire_.

**The'lah – **Species: Mantrin/Goureg. Skin color: Slate gray. Hair color: - Eye color: Bright blue. Kero's mother and Zahn's wife.

**Todd Hawkins – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Blond. Eye color: Pale blue. New Earth military officer and _Dominator_ testpilot with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

**Trynan – **Species: Akrennian. Skin color: Gray. Hair color: - Eye color: Blue. Helmsman aboard the battlecruiser Tsun'rhaa.

**Tt'ri – **Species: Huk'la. Skin color: Brown. Hair color: - Eye color: Black. One of Ayko's business associates on the black market of Huk'lath V.

**Wayne Russell – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Blond. Eye color: Deep green. Captain of the Federation starship USS _Phoenix._

**Xilrai – **Species: Mantrin/Orketh. Skin color: Chestnut with dark stripes. Hair color: - Eye color: Orange. Admiral of the Imperial High Command.

**Yani Cho – **Skin color: Pink. Hair color: Black. Eye color: Dark brown. Operations officer aboard the RSS _Valkyrie_ with the rank of Ensign.

**Zahn – **Species: Mantrin/Goureg. Skin color: Slate gray. Hair color: - Eye color: Bright blue. Emperor of the Mantrin Empire. Zahn is Kero's father and he's incredibly large, even for his species. He can be a very friendly guy but don't make him angry because you'll regret it.

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Factions / Organizations:

**Akrennian Military Alliance – **All the different worlds in colonies that together form the foundation of the Akrennian Empire are united in the Akrennian Military Alliance in times of war. Their main military force is the Akrennian Militia.

**Earth Defense Force – **The provisional New Earth military organization in command of all ship operations.

**Indarian Dynasty – **The territories, worlds and colonies belonging to the Indarians.

**Mantrin Imperial Guard – **The Mantrin military organization which controls all of their fleet operations in the quadrant. The Imperial High Command oversees all of their operations.

**Machine Dominion – **A race of intelligent machines from another universe let by a powerful artificial intelligence which is planning to wipe out all organic life and create an Empire of machine-life.

**Mizrate Armada** **–** The D'amaran defense force.

**Republica Planitia – **The newly found alliance of worlds founded on the third of February 3044. It started with ten different worlds and organizations. Akrennians, D'amarans, Denali, Humans, Indarians, Mantrins, Qu'utians, Solbrechtians, Vusstrans and the United Federation of Planets from the other universe.

**Starfleet – **The humanitarian and peacekeeping armada of spacecraft, that provides defense, research, diplomacy, and exploration to the United Federation of Planets in the other universe.

**United Federation of Planets – **The interplanetary federal republic of the other universe which encompasses more than 150 member planets and thousands of colonies spread across 8,000 lightyears. The Federation's military and exploratory agency is known as Starfleet.

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Places:

**Akrennia – **A somewhat dry world located in a densely packed area of the Bellisan quadrant.

**Andali system – **The system where the new planet Earth is created. 78 light-years from Earth's original location.

**Aridanis IV – **Forest planet in the Aridanis system where the Machine Dominion's AI and their largest concentration of ships is located.

**Dimra – **Smaller moon orbiting Sogowa Prime.

**Grepoa – **A remote swamp world presumed located in the Outer Rim territories of the Drelia quadrant. It's difficult to find if you don't know where to look.

**Huk'lath V – **A cold and icy world without any real seasons that is home to the Huk'la, a thick-furred mole-like species. The Huk'lath system is a system positioned on the edge of Akrennian-held territory and besides Huk'lath V there aren't any other planets worth mentioning. Huk'lath V is a center of criminal activity and has a very fine black market where even the Akrennian Empire itself gets the good stuff.

**Mantra – **Once a beautiful place to live. Now a deserted barren rock swept by violent thunderstorms and volcanic activity.

**New Earth (Just 'Earth' later on) –** The new human homeworld created using Sam Tuckers Titan technology. Almost identical to the original except it has no moon and there are no real seasons.

**She'loh – **Larger moon orbiting Sogowa Prime.

**Sogowa Prime – **The Mantrin homeworld where most of the Mantrins settled after Mantra became uninhabitable. The Center of the Empire and the largest Mantrin occupied world. A day takes 26 hours to complete and one Sogowan year is 329 of these days.

**Sogowa III – **Planet in the Sogowa system where the Imperial shipyards are located.

**Solbrecht – **A large metropolitan planet where a lot of different species live together and have established colonies of their own. The planet's natives are called Solbrechtians, a large and ruthless four-armed species.

**Texas Colony – **Drifter colony assembled on the edge of the Kaldani solar system by a significantly larger group of refugee ships carrying some of Earth's finest engineers and scientists. The colony is able to sustain itself using an extraction facility in orbit of a nearby gas giant to collect valuable compounds from its atmosphere.

_**The Lighthouse**_ **– **One of the most popular places of entertainment inside the _Heliopolis_ owned by Harry Ginsmore.

**Vindra system – **Large solar system deeper in Akrennian territory.

**Xirosa system – **System close to the Huk'lath system on the edge of Akrennian territory.

**Zechaat – **Solbrecht's capitol city and a mix of different alien cultures.

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Species:

**Akrennians – **Homeworld: Akrennia. An untrustworthy species mostly known as slave traders. Their homeworld is called Akrennia, although they are also very active on other worlds for their slave trading business. Especially Pl'ochda is one of them. Akrennians are a somewhat eccentric species that don't care too much about personal hygiene. Their social structure is based on clans with different relations in between. There are a few different Akrennian races.

Akrennian races created by Titan A.E. fans (these belong to their original creators!):

Rachta

Ss'kta

Z'kii

**D'amarans – **Homeworld: D'amara. Peaceful species allied to the humans.

**Denali – **Homeworld: Denalia. Humanoid species with a blue scaled skin, webs between toes and fingers and both lungs and gills. They live in beautiful underwater domed cities.

**Grepoans – **Homeworld: Grepoa. An amphibious-like species known for their eccentric personality. Their homeworld Grepoa is located in the far reaches of the Drelia quadrant and is almost impossible to find if you don't know where to look. They've created some of the most advanced scientific and medical technologies in the Spiral Arm and they're happy to share it with any ally.

**Huk'la – **Homeworld: Huk'lath V. Thick-furred mole-like creatures with large claws made for digging. They're quite trustworthy but, though not very intelligent and almost blind. They are able to distinguish each other by smell. The Huk'la live their lives in large underground cities close to the core of their frozen planet to take advantage of the heat and geothermal energy.

**Indarians – **Homeworld: Indar Prime. A militaristic species whose members look like intelligent foxes walking on two legs.

**Mantrins – **Homeworld: Sogowa Prime. A short-tempered species known as great warriors throughout the galaxy. They have a large muscular build, a tail, birdlike beaks and large triple jointed legs with double knees. They have established a large empire with many colonies throughout the quadrant. The center of the empire is Sogowa Prime. Their empire tends to expand without conquering but through colonization, though in the distant past they had a different attitude towards neighboring worlds. They are responsible for the finest weapon technologies you'll findin the galaxy. Nobody knows exactly how many different races and crossbreeds exist.

Mantrin races created by Titan A.E. fans (these belong to their original creators!):

Amadre

Dalsyth

Fjetahna

Goureg

Lesser Arcanna

Logri

Natpan

Noctre

Orketh

Osakan

Porlau

Ryrjhii

Soneg

Soneth

Songri

Sonowan

Soxowan

Talocaan

**Qu'utian – **Homeworld: Qu'ut Minor. Tall slender lizard-like creatures with mossy patches of colored fur. They are peaceful, friendly and wise. Their second homeworld is Qu**'**ut Minor, where their race settled after the destruction of Qu**'**ut Prime by the Drej.

**Solbrechtian –** Homeworld: Solbrecht. The ruthless four-armed species native to Solbrecht. Most of them are criminals.

**Vusstran –** Homeworld: Vusstra. Native to Vusstra, they are an intelligent industrial species that hatch from pods.

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Ships:

**Akira class – **Fast and agile Starfleet heavy cruiser which main armament is composed of torpedo launchers.

**Chi'la class fighter – **Robotic interceptor craft developed by the Imperial Guard. It's still in its experimental stages but already a capable equivalent to the _Dominator_.

**Defiant class** **– **Essentially a small and overpowered warship. Starfleet however prefers the term escort.

**Dominator – **Robotic advanced multi-purpose interceptor craft developed by engineering teams from both the people of New Earth and Starfleet. Designed to engage squadrons of enemy fighters without the loss of valuable pilots.

**Ronin class – **A newer type of battlecruiser which shares some design similarities with the Nebula class. Thanks to its armament of quantum torpedoes and the set of type XV phaser cannons it is more combat ready.

**AMS Tsun'rhaa – **Akrennian battlecruiser commanded by Captain Ayko.

**FT-66 – **Obsolete model Akrennian shuttlecraft. A slow bulky planetary transport.

**MIS **_**Bokara**_** – **Mantrin warship from the same type as the _Volari_. Commanded by Captain Jah'len.

**MIS**_** Myrana**_** – **A 'smaller' type of Mantrin cruiser mainly used for patrol duties. The 38 crewmembers are still sharing 7 decks spread over about 300 meters length. The _Myrana_ was under the command of Captain Kero from the House of Tiraya until its destruction on January 19th in the human year 3044. This type of vessel is capable of defending itself but is not specifically designed for combat although most Mantrin vessels are.

**MIS **_**Son of the Empire**_ **– **Ikana class Mantrin warship designated as a battle dreadnought. The _Son of the Empire_ is commanded by Captain Kero. It is heavily armed, heavily armored and shielded and carries a few squadrons of attack fighters in its hangar bays.

**MIS **_**Volari**_** – **A large type of Mantrin warship commanded by Captain Ma'zan of the Imperial Guard. His ship is an excellent combination of size, firepower and agility. This type of ship forms the backbone of the Imperial fleet.

**RSS **_**Arcadia**_** – **Slightly modified version of the Atlantis class Republican _Dominator_ carrier, commanded by Captain Michael Jericho. It carries a total of 300 _Dominator_ attack drones and is heavily shielded, armored and armed to the teeth.

**RSS **_**Bellerophon**_** and **_**Pegasus – **_The first two of the new _Pegasus_ class cruisers in the Republican fleet. These ships are large, powerful for their size and will eventually be the mainstay of the Republic forces.

**RSS **_**Chimaera **_**and **_**Griffin**_** – **Based on the older but reliable design of the newly designated _Valkyrie_ class interceptor, these ships are not as powerful as a Republic cruiser but can surely hold itself on its own thanks to its speed and agility.

**RSS **_**Valkyrie**_** – **The new and refitted starship _Valkyrie, _commanded by Captain Joseph Korso. Designated as a _Valkyrie_ class interceptor, this design is the basis for a number of ships in the Republic fleet.

**USS **_**Capella**_** – **Europa class Federation starship under the command of Captain Gregory Halloway. The Europa class is the final refit of the Galaxy class design featuring four warp-nacelles and a devastating array of weapons in a design that has proved itself over the years.

**USS **_**Highlander**_ **–** Carinthia class Federation vessel. Crew complement of 1847 members. Starfleet registry number NCC-95430. Under the command of Captain Jason Pierce. Being an incredibly large ship (more than 1700 meters in length), the _Highlander_ is being used as a heavy command dreadnought in the Titan universe since the discovery of the rift leading there. The ship features extensive diplomatic facilities but is capable of one hell of a fight. Heavy ablative armor, primary and secondary shielding are some of its defensive capabilities. For the offence there are Type XII phaser strips, fore and aft pulse phaser cannons and rapid-fire photon and quantum torpedo turrets. The people of New Earth are allowed to frequently use the _Highlander'_s conference room as a temporary base of operations during the rebuilding of the human civilization.

**USS **_**Houston**_** –** A Nebula class Federation starship under the command of Captain Ian Fredrickson which was designed as an explorer but can be fitted with a variety of modules to further enhance its capabilities. Examples of these modules are a weapons module, sensor module and an extra set of warp nacelles.

**USS **_**Phoenix**_** – **An Insignia class Federation starship under the command of Captain Wayne Russell. The ship was involved in the final attempt to retake Xirosa from the Machines. This ship is of a fully modular design, well-fitted for combat operations and with a unique primary hull construction consisting of detachable modules.

**USS **_**Shenandoah**_** – **A Sovereign class Federation starship under the command of Captain Arthur Wallace. The ship was dispatched to lead a Federation/Denali taskforce in the first battle to retake Xirosa.

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Stations:

_**Atlas**_** – **The _Atlas_ space station is the large orbital facility in command of Earth's defense and dry-dock operations. It has its own defense systems and multiple command centers for different kinds of operations.

_**New Bangkok**_ **–** Large modified drifter colony kept in high orbit of New Earth to be used as a relay station and to accommodate any passing by ships. It is outfitted with what little weapons the human survivors had left to neutralize incoming asteroids and small threats.

**Starbase **_**Titan – **_Federation starbase in the Titan universe that functions as a staging area for all Federation vessels stationed in this universe. It is named after an important event that clearly distinguishes this universe from others. The starbase also guards the trans-dimensional gate used by Starfleet to enter the Titan universe.

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Weapons:

**Class four multi-purpose tactical pulse rifle – **Powerful but heavy energy rifle used in combination with an exographic targeting sensor, an eyepiece used for targeting using a neural interface. It has eight different settings, a training mode and a comprehensive amount of gadgets to simplify the successful elimination of the target.

**Disruption beam – **Weapon primarily used to penetrate shields and disable ship's systems but causes very little structural damage.

**Energy lance – **A ceremonial weapon used by the Imperial Palace Guard. The small sphere on the tip can be charged with paralyzing energy which can either be fired or used in direct contact with the target.

**Ion torpedo – **Long range torpedo weapon that disables shields and electronic systems, it does little structural damage however.

**Nuclear implosion missile – **Weapon carried aboard Mantrin warships. A missile with a high-yield warhead which causes all matter in the blast radius to implode in on itself resulting in a thermonuclear detonation ripping the target apart. It's not very effective when the target's shields are still up.

**Phaser – **Charged particle weapon, widely used by a variety of species including the Federation. This type of weapon exists in various forms with pistol, rifle and starship weapons being the most common ones.

**Photon cannon – **Directed energy weapon firing pockets of photonic energy. Effective weapon against any target. Also causes area-of-effect damage.

**Photon torpedo – **Warp-capable tactical matter/antimatter weapons carried as standard armament aboard most Federation ships.

**Pulse cannon – **Directed energy weapon capable of causing massive damage by shooting pockets of concentrated energy at its target.

**Quantum torpedo – **Tactical plasma torpedo weapon carried aboard a few types of Federation starships. Its destructive force is higher than that of the photon torpedo.

**Sonic grenade – **Experimental weapon being developed by the Mantrin Imperial Elite Assault Force. It utilizes the destructive power of high-frequency sound waves to destroy its targets and wreak havoc on enemy forces.

**Shockwave torpedo – **Tactical torpedo weapon deployed exclusively by the Machine Dominion that's capable of passing through weakened shields. Upon impact, it creates a localized temporary subspace distortion capable of completely tearing a ship apart.

**Spinner drone – **Deadly and vicious anti-infantry weapon deployed by the Machine Dominion. It consists of a hovering armored double-disc frame and a set of rapid-spinning, razor-sharp blades capable of cutting through flesh and bone with ease.

**Transphasic torpedo – **Prototype torpedo weapon mainly to be used against the Borg. It is capable of shifting out of phase with normal space-time to pass through a vessel's shields and hull and detonate inside the ship, destroying it instantly.

**Type 3 phaser rifle –** Common lightweight Federation handheld weapon for use in the field and in combat situations. It has several settings and is the most powerful handheld weapon used in Starfleet.

**Vibro-blade – **An advanced blade weapon with a blade that vibrates on an extremely high frequency allowing it to cut through almost any substance.

**

* * *

**

Terminology:

**Bone regenerator – **A device used to recreate bone tissue using molecular bio-scans to make it compatible with almost any species.

**Cardio-stimulator – **A medical device that is utilized to artificially keep the heart pumping in case of a failure.

**Chrono – **Future universal version of a watch, capable of displaying time in almost any format, no matter which planet you're from. Wristcom's have an integrated chrono.

**Cloaking device – **A powerful piece of technology that renders a ship invisible to the naked eye and most sensors when active.

**Decon – **A very efficient way of cleaning clothes and equipment. Ensures the 100% elimination of jerms and dirt.

**Echelon nebula – **A large nebula between New Earth and Solbrecht containing various compounds.

**Galaxy** **–** The Titan A.E. Galaxy is divided into six quadrants which are in turn divided into sectors. All the action takes place in the Bellisan quadrant which is the one that is fully explored by mankind.

Bellisan quadrant: Fully explored by mankind.

Davlan quadrant: Unexplored territory. Mostly unknown, although there have been reports that many dangerous species own the sectors of this quadrant.

Drelia quadrant: Partially explored by mankind

Majicka quadrant: Unexplored territory. A research ship sent here was lost, never to be heard from again.

Octron quadrant: Unexplored territory. Very little is known about this quadrant except that it is a dangerous place.

Selinia quadrant: Partially explored by mankind.

**Genesis project – **A top secret military research project of the Elite Assault Force. Instead of improving the weaponry of the soldiers, leading scientist Doctor Galen and his team are trying to improve the warrior itself to the point they become the weaponry. Using advanced genetic engineering they are trying to create the ultimate warrior capable of killing with a single thought.

_**Heliopolis **_**– **One of the large self-sustaining vertical cities on the surface of Earth.

**Holodeck – **Advanced simulation technology owned by the Federation and made available for the people of New Earth and their allies.

**Holoscroll** **– **A portable and digital form of written information used in the Titan universe to do documentation work. The equivalent of the PADD used by Starfleet.

**Isolytic (…) – **A form of energy that is released on places where subspace is torn apart.

**Ion flow regulator – **A component in the ship's propulsion system that regulates and compresses the ion stream before it is injected into the driver coils.

**Ion reactor – **An energy reactor that utilizes highly charged ions to power engines and ship's systems.

**Neural link interface – **A direct link between a piece of technology and the user's brain.

**Shaloa – **Mantrin saint.

**Spiral Arm – **See 'Galaxy'.

**Tissue regenerator – **A piece of technology being used to instantly heal wounds by reconstructing the damaged tissue.

**Trans-dimensional distortion** **–** Or inter-dimensional rift. A connection between two colliding universes. The distortion must be stable enough in order to get a ship through or to transform it into a stable gateway. In its natural form, it emits Tetryon radiation and releases isolytic bursts. The more unstable the distortion the higher the amount of released radiation, lethal particles and isolytic energy.

**Translation matrix – **A very intelligent computer system capable of learning and translating almost any alien language. Exists in both an integrated ship system and a smaller portable version.

**Warp engine –** An engine capable of producing a subspace displacement field that allows ships to travel faster than light. Thanks to the properties of this field, time inside is progressing at the same rate as outside. The source that powers such an engine can be based on various types of energy.


	3. Chapter 1 Sickbay

_**Authors note: Music track 1 (Twilight - Intro Music) **_

**Sickbay**

* * *

Being a member of the Akrennian race, Preed always had a natural born talent for survival. The harsh and dry conditions on their homeworld made sure of that and even after his species gained sentience and started to walk on two legs it was still present as a certain instinct. He had a difficult and complicated past full of misery and betrayal, wandering around the galaxy and getting his hands dirty on things that couldn't stand the light of day. Until he eventually settled into something he could call a life, more or less. Social status was an important part of Akrennian society and he had been standing at the bottom of the ladder and below it. He couldn't quite figure out why Korso dragged him out of the mud and helped him to regain some of the honor he had lost. At the moment it seemed as big a mystery as the origin of the universe itself, just like the inexplicable pain in his neck. If he remembered correctly, Korso grabbed his head and twisted his neck ninety degrees after which everything went dark. Death wasn't supposed to hurt so much but considering no one had ever been able to tell how death actually felt, he began to fear the worst. This couldn't be the Akrennian version of heaven since it didn't involve the endless pleasure, the scantily clad females hanging around his neck and the slaves carrying plates of food and drink for him and his companions. Instead, it brought him nothing more than a blinding pain in his neck vertebrae which felt like they had been replaced by a colony of Earth fire ants, shattering the dream he had about the non-corporeal afterlife. Especially when he tried to move what still felt like his own body he wanted to scream it out but making the slightest sound seemed just as impossible as fulfilling that dream of heaven.

"_This can't be heaven,"_ Preed thought, trying to force his confused mind to come up with a plausible explanation.

The term 'hell' might be a good way to describe his current state. He betrayed the people he more or less could have called his friends and this was the punishment for doing so. But the real question was actually: Was he really dead? His dazed mind couldn't come with the answer to any of the questions he was asking himself but slowly, very slowly things were starting to come back. The _Titan_. The ship designated as humanity's last great hope was about to become his final resting place. He was just about to kill everyone that could once have gone through as a friend. The Drej armada was on rapid approach and he was pointing a gun like a madman at his fellow crewmembers. It all happened so fast. Of course they resisted but somehow Korso managed to overpower him and do something rather painful and twisty to his neck after which everything went dark. After that there was nothing but a big black void, a gap in his memories right in between then and now. A gap he couldn't seem to fill, no matter how hard he tried.

Preed tried to move again which turned out to be a painful mistake. The pain welled up but with less fury than the initial upsurge and it also did something to his mind. His brain started to warm up, his consciousness kicking in making him realize he was still capable of feeling. He noticed he was lying on his back on something cold and solid. It made him realize his essence, his soul, was still locked into a body. Suddenly he heard something, indicating his hearing still worked. It was a very soft rhythmic beep that became louder and louder. To be absolutely sure this wasn't some crooked version of the afterlife, he asked the one question that would clear some things up.

"Am I dead?" he asked aloud, hoping he wasn't since this would be a pretty screwed way to continue existence.

"No you're not dead!" a grating, hostile and all too familiar female voice replied from the general direction of 'up'.

_By the Gods._ If this was the person he thought it was, she wasn't going to be very lenient. Maybe death wasn't so bad after all.

"Stith is that you?" Preed asked carefully, in disbelief and mingled with horror.

Of all the individuals who could have saved his life, the abnormally strong, cranky Mantrin weapons expert would have been the last one he had expected or wanted to do it. She hadn't been very fond of his oily manners, his annoying remarks and the way he talked to her like they had a romantic relationship but after his betrayal he rather would have expected her to finish the work Korso had started. If he had died on the Titan it would have been a most merciful death in comparison to what she could do to him only out of personal revenge.

"I actually should have left you to rot just like you were planning to do with me and Gune."

Preed didn't reply. This time he had no slimy answer ready to save him out of this perilous situation. Leaving Stith and Gune with a wristcom that had been a bomb in disguise was not exactly the best way to make friends with the Mantrin. Stith's voice trailed off into a rumbling growl of annoyance and he heard the thumps of her huge feet on the deck plating removing themselves from his position. It was the moment he had been waiting for to try and open his eyes. The light that entered through the tiny slit between his eyelids blinded within a second, like he had never used his eyes before, causing him to squeeze them shut and letting out a soft moan. It was like looking directly into Akrennia's binary sun. From the tiny portion of his environment he had seen, he could tell he was brought aboard the _Valkyrie_, the med bay to be precise. The beep he heard had to be coming from the medical equipment monitoring his own heartbeat. Despite the fact of how stupid it was to begin asking questions given his current predicament and nakedness, he found himself unable to restrain his mouth.

"What happened? Why am I here? How long-"

"One more question and I'll shove this probe somewhere it doesn't belong!" Stith snarled. He heard the sound of Stith's huge clawed feet on the metal floor approaching the table. He could almost feel her anger. It was like a dark aura that squeezed his throat shut when he got trapped in it. In this state, she could do to him whatever she wanted and there was nothing he could do against it. "Now keep quiet! You'll only throw off the readings. I must say, Korso did quite a job. At least you were quiet the whole time." She made a sound that held the middle between a grunt and a laugh. "Cleaning up the mess is a different story though."

Feeling not particularly comfortable with the idea of having a piece of medical technology on a place where it would do more harm than good he did as she instructed until the examination table's build-in anti-grav pads lifted his exposed body in the air. Feeling totally embarrassed he decided to repeat one of the previous questions.

"What happened?" he asked again while listening to how Stith was busy running some final scans and shutting down equipment she no longer needed.

"Didn't you hear me the first time? It looks like you're suffering from amnesia as well. As if you don't know!" She added a growl that sealed his lips immediately. Maybe it was better to follow her advice and not ask questions. "Give your twisted mind something to think about in the mean time Preed. Your little betrayal on your so-called friends? Your sneaky pact with the Drej for money and to save your own sorry ass? You are even more disgusting then I thought."

Preed had nothing to say in return. He couldn't quite comprehend why Stith _saved_ him, even after his attempt to blow her and Gune to the other world and for almost being the one who condemned the remains of the human race to death.

"Aow! Hey, stop it!" he yelped when Stith jammed something sharp into his upper back, missing his spinal column by a few millimeters.

"It's just the probe," Stith said in an amused way. "You're really lucky your miserable race has such well-developed neck muscles and vertebrae, otherwise Korso would've gotten rid of you instantly." She snorted. "Of course that would've saved me the trouble of reviving you. Am I unlucky."

"But I thought that Korso-"

"Korso… broke a few thingies," she replied nonchalantly. "It was enough to knock you unconscious for the time being and make sure you couldn't get in the way again. Bone regenerator's nearly done by the way."

"How long have I been out?" Preed asked carefully, her promise about the probe still present in the back of his mind.

Expecting she would keep her promise he prepared himself to receive the probe at the lower part of his spinal column but he was relieved she answered his question.

"You've been here since yesterday. We eventually found your twisted remains. It was a pretty sorry sight. No wait it wasn't. Sorry, I don't know why I even said that. Hell I don't know why I even bothered to drag that sack of meat, which was supposed to be you, up here. Wait a sec."

Giving everything a final check she flipped a few switches. Suddenly the anti-gravs went off and he was unceremoniously dumped back on the table. _You did that on purpose. _

"That should do the trick. Now open up those eyes."

Preed did as she instructed, luring through a small opening between his eyelids. Very slowly, trying to give his eyes time to adjust to the level of lighting. It still hurt but not with as much fury as before Stith's adjustments. He slowly opened his large bronze-colored eyes and watched the ceiling of the _Valkyrie_'s med bay snap into sharp focus. The last time he had seen the inside of the med bay was when Cale was first brought aboard the ship. They had to heal Cale's wounds he picked up at the salvage station during the little firefight with the Drej. Before that they had to revive him after his journey through space together with his former Captain when the ship they used to escape from the Drej crashed into Tau-14's docking ports, cracking the canopy. After Korso kicked in the glass -a reckless maneuver but he didn´t have any other choice- he had used a fire extinguisher to propel their exposed bodies the few hundred feet through space into the opened doors of the _Valkyrie_'s cargo bay. After these events, their quest for the _Titan_ had begun.

His vision was still a little blurry if he forced he eyes to focus on objects farther than a meter or two away but it was clearing up the moment he wanted to ask Stith how long it would take for the effect to dissipate. His gaze caught the two triangular copper-colored eyes of the Mantrin staring down into his, a dangerous glittering in each of them. She was glaring down her muzzle with nothing but hate in those eyes, towering above him with her arms crossed, lashing her muscular tail in annoyance and impatience.

"Well?" Stith asked gruffly.

"Still a little stiff in the neck but I'm feeling better already when I look into those beautiful eyes of you, dearest."

That familiar wolfish grin appeared on his face. The combination of that and his sly way of speaking was enough to make Stith show her teeth.

"Preed, I got you back into the world of the living but I can change that within a matter of seconds." Her eyes flickered with anger for a moment.

"What do you mean, precious?"

"Stop calling me precious or I will reverse all of my work with a single twist, you creep!" she snapped, getting ready to carry out her statement.

Her ears flattened on her head and he could hear her knuckles crack when her clawed hands balled themselves to fists.

"Calm down, no need for the animosity big girl. Besides, why did you save me while 'I'll kill you' became your favorite phrase ever since you met me," he asked trying to keep his cool attitude.

"Because for people like you death is not really a punishment. I had no intentions of letting you get away with your betrayal with such ease. I'll make you feel regret. Mark my words. I owe that to not only to my best friend Akima and Cale but to the rest of humanity as well. In case you're curious, they succeeded in firing up the _Titan_'s reactor. The Drej are gone, possibly for good. In spite of everything, the humans have a world. You'll see what I mean when you get your lazy ass of that table and take a look out the window."

"What happened to?-"

Stith halted his words dead in their tracks. If he only knew how immensely annoying he could be.

"Did I tell you that you could start peppering me with questions again?"

"But you owe me an explanation for-"

"Listen to me very carefully," Stith whispered with the tip of her muzzle almost touching his good ear. "I owe you _nothing_. You owe me, Cale, Akima and humanity everything. You owe us your life you… _rat!_" She towered above him with a dangerous look in her eyes which faded after a moment. Then she turned towards the exit and shot him a look over her shoulder. "Are you going to lie down there and wait for your body to become one with the table or are you gonna give us a hand for the time being? As much as we dislike your presence we _could_ use a deckhand."

Preed slowly got up from the table and assumed a sitting position. He craned his stiff neck and let out a few exaggerated sighs and moans which provoked another hostile response from the other person present in the room.

"It seems my services are still invaluable and I'm looking forward to taking some of the responsibility to guide this ship to its next destination, my dear."

Stith's ears flattened against her head in anger and another growl escaped her throat making Preed quickly shut his mouth. Preed knew he used the word 'dear' again but he didn't show it to her. Instead, he merely smiled.

"Now get up! Or do I have to use these?" Patting on the blasters she wore on her hips, she managed to wipe that stupid grin off his face immediately. "And put on some clothes. I've seen more of your naked body in these hours then I wanted to see in a whole lifetime."

She turned around, beating with her tail against the doorpost. Slowly Preed eased himself off the examination table. His clothes and boots lay next to him on one of the metal chairs next to the table. Slowly he began on the process of dressing himself, to the annoyance of Stith who waited impatiently until he was finished. As he dressed, he suddenly became aware of the familiar sounds pulsing around him. He could hear the humming of the ion reactor powering the engines, the cold metal deck plating vibrating slightly under his feet and the warm humidified air from the life support systems flowing through the room and through his lungs when he inhaled deeply.

"I'll be on the bridge," Stith declared, no longer willing to wait until he was finished.

"I'm already done my dear."

For a moment she froze again, her ears lowering to a horizontal position.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," she spat back.

She was already on her way to the command deck when Preed asked: "I wanna speak to the Captain. Where is he?"

"You asked the right person. Korso's dead. He didn't make it back when he fixed the circuit breaker," Stith answered without the slightest bit of remorse in her voice. The human had realized his mistake at the right time but that didn't take away the fact that he was planning to sell out his own people to their worst enemy. In her opinion, he was no better than his First Mate.

"Then, who's the Captain of this vessel at the moment?" Preed asked, already fearing the answer to that question.

"Guess who," Stith replied, curving the edges of her beak into something that resembled a smile.

"You're the Captain?" he asked, feeling an unpleasant feeling enter his stomach.

"That's right. I'm the Captain and Chief engineer while Gune is the navigator and pilot. We make a good team together. After all Gune is a good friend and we're getting along with each other for some time now."

"And me? What will be my task aboard the _Valkyrie_?"

"Preed, you know I hate traitors and I don't want your traitorous hide on my ship. We'll drop you off at the next stop and then, well, you've gotta take care of your own skin."

Preed's eyes grew a lot bigger when she finished her last sentence. He realized that she was in command now and she could do whatever she wanted to.

"But you need me here!" he exclaimed, a hint of panic in his voice. This was bad. Really bad. He would be in the same situation as before Korso dragged him out of the crap. The underworld of a merciless galaxy that was as unforgivable as death itself. Piracy, slavery, murder and a possible gruesome death awaited those who descended to the lowest reaches of the spiral arm. "It's an awful lot of work to run a ship with just two crewmen. I'll do whatever you want me to do. Please don't leave me at some godforsaken moon. I'll probably end up as a slave or get killed or-"

"All right, all right! Just stop begging, you're hired. _For the moment_. I suppose you could give Gune a hand and take over a third of the shifts."

She heaved a sigh, shaking her head.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you a thousand times. That's the kindest thing you've-"

"Just stop!" she hissed, holding up her clawed hand to break off the stream 'of thank you's', flowing out of Preed's mouth.

"You won't regret it, I promise."

"I already do," she murmured, turning her back on him. She snorted. "You and keeping promises. That's a new one."

"If I might ask, where are we going?"

"The bridge! Your shift begins _now_!" she barked, taking firm steps, expecting him to follow.

If they continued on this way they would never get there.

"Yes Captain, but what I meant is: What's our heading?" he asked as gentle as he was capable of.

"We're heading for the closest outpost. I've already let Gune set a course and prep the ship for warp travel. We're a little low on supplies and one of the ion flow regulators of the upper left engine is malfunctioning. It needs to be replaced as quickly as possible but we're almost out of spare parts."

"How unfortunate, but-"

"No more questions! We have a lot of work to do."

"Yes ma'am. Already on my way Captain," Preed replied obediently.

Maybe it was smart not to get on her bad side for the moment. She could always come back at her decision to let him stay aboard. Following the Mantrin to the command deck, he hoped to stay out of trouble for the moment. But then, trouble always managed to attract him quicker than a magnet attracted iron. Or was it the other way around?


	4. Chapter 2 Resupplying

**Resupplying **

* * *

Upon entering the bridge Preed was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable, mostly because the presence of Gune meant that he didn't have to share the same space with just a cranky and hostile Stith. The small Grepoan scientist, resembling something like a turtle without a shell was dancing on his feet when his huge eyes caught the Akrennian in their gaze. It was something he failed to understand, but after all, Gune was Gune, incapable of feeling hate and at the moment the green-skinned alien even seemed happy to see him.

"Preed! Preed!" Gune exclaimed, jumping from his seat behind the helm. The bridge felt a little hollower than he remembered because of the absence of Akima, the former pilot and Korso, their former Captain and the closest person that could have passed on for a friend in his days as First Mate. His new Captain would never be his friend if he were the last person in the galaxy. Not that he had the right to blame her. "Preed! You're aliiive! This is cause for happiness!"

The Grepoan male with his green skin and insanely large eyes jumped in the air as high as his short legs and body allowed him to.

"Yes caveman, I'm still alive. I thought that was obvious," Preed sneered, dimming the alien's enthusiasm.

"Preed! Can it! Stations everybody!" Stith rudely interrupted, taking place in the Captain's chair on the upper deck. Stith always had trouble finding a place for her large triple-jointed legs and her tail to rest when she sat in a chair not specifically designed for her species but the width and height of the chair made it easier for her to do so. "How long before we reach our destination Gune?" she asked at a much friendlier tone.

She always reserved a much nicer voice for Gune but after all, what kind of person could be unfriendly towards Gune? Being the navigator of the ship, Gune took his seat and looked at the status displays of the navigational station.

"I've just brought the ship to warp Captain and if we maintain our current course and speed we'll be there in exactly two hours, forty-nine minutes and seven seconds," he happily stated.

"Thanks Gune. But one of those regulators is a real piece of junk and the others could use a checkup. Do you think you can squeeze a little bit more out of the engines without blowing things down there?"

"Gune will see what he can do Captain."

Gune immediately began rerouting extra power to the engines and let the computer recalculate their ETA.

"Preed! Keep those eyes of yours fixed on your monitor and check the temps! I don't want those driver coils running to hot!" she snarled at her newly acquired officer.

"Aye Captain," Preed obeyed, the tone of his voice a bit slimy.

For the first time in his life he genuinely tried not to say anything that would offend the Mantrin. This time she was certainly less hesitant about shoving him out of the nearest airlock, at warp speed. If he somehow managed to survive that long in the cold vacuum to experience the transition through the warp field, he would experience his body being torn apart and his molecules scattered over the entire sector. A thought that would certainly please his Mantrin Captain. Anything that involved him being sent to his ancestors in a creative way would make a smile appear on her face.

"I have entered new speed into the computer and we reach Texas Colony in two hours, three minutes and thirty-four seconds now Captain," Gune stated again, the smile on his turtle-like face growing wider.

Texas Colony was just another human drifter colony but it was floating at something that could be called a key location. A lot of ships docked here for refueling and resupplying before moving on to their next destination. It was one of the largest colonies and the inhabitants had set up a thriving business with the crews of freighters as lots of trade routes crossed this region of space. It had also become one of the largest trade centers in this sector. Stith figured the people aboard might want to know about the new human homeworld of New Earth, or 'BOB', as Cale had so colorfully suggested. Akima had asked Stith to tell every human she came across about New Earth during her trip to wherever it was she would go to so all humans could finally live once again among their own kind. Being a very good friend of Akima, Stith would keep that promise. Being a logical destination to carry out that promise, Stith had already ordered Gune to plot a course for Solbrecht, a melting pot of different cultures where a lot of species had settlements including both humans and Mantrins. The human colonists might also want to know about New Earth, it they didn't already know. Although it was only three days ago since the planet was created on January 15th, 3044, the already present population on the new world had started to build up a society as quickly as possible to prevent other species from laying a claim on the planet. The more people helping to rebuild the better.

Two hours later the _Valkyrie_ dropped out of warp at approximately fifteen million kilometers from Texas Colony. The colony was incredibly large, even for a drifter colony. It was many kilometers in diameter and there were numerous docking arms and bays to accommodate vessels of various sizes. Many of these bays and arms had ships docked with them, mostly freighters and other small craft. A large, orange-colored, class 7 gas giant formed the background of the station from this angle. A large bluish nebula stretching out to the edges of the system and beyond partially surrounded the gas giant at its other side.

"Open a channel Preed," Stith barked.

"Hailing the station Captain," Preed replied, tapping a few buttons to establish a connection.

"It looks like they're home."

"Then put it up," she grumbled impatiently, tapping with her tail against the back of her chair.

The sound of a voice, judging by the tone belonging to a young human male sounded over the com.

"This is quartermaster Charles McKenzie of the Texas Colony. Please state you business."

"This is Captain Stith of the _Valkyrie_. You got any supplies for us? We could use some. By the way, we've got a message for all humans aboard your colony. Asking permission to dock."

"Copy that _Valkyrie_, permission granted. Port 23A appears to be available. Sending the exact coordinates now, welcome aboard."

"Coordinates received Captain," Preed said with a grin.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Lay in a course you egghead. I thought you were the pilot," she spat back.

"Yes ma'am," Preed obeyed, laying in an approach vector.

Stith gazed out of the window in the mean time, trying to catch Preed on any glitches in his maneuvering skills so she had a reason to yell at him again. Preed figured she would stay mad at him for a while -quite possibly for as long as his life lasted- and she was not planning on changing that all of a sudden and pretend nothing happened. To her dissatisfaction Preed managed to maneuver the ship up to the designated docking area without scratching the paint. The _Valkyrie_'s front atmospheric airfoils retracted to its sides as the sleek human-build craft approached the docking port. The ship's docking hatch connected to the tube-like construction and a green light on Preed's monitor and both sides of the hatch indicated a positive airtight seal. Safely docked with Texas Colony, Stith decided it was time to go.

"Shuddown the engines Gune, they need to cool down before we can start working on any repairs." Gune mumbled something indistinct and immediately started pushing buttons to carry out her order as his Captain climbed down the stairs to the lower level. They could all hear the soft humming of the ion engines fading away together with the accompanying vibrations of the deck plating and for a moment everything was silent. A few seconds later the lighting on the bridge also dimmed, when Gune finished the procedure. "Preed, Gune you two are with me. We're gonna get those supplies," Stith ordered, leaving the bridge with a whip of her tail.

Preed stood up from his chair, following in her wake with Gune, asking himself where Stith was going to get the money.

"How're you planning to get those supplies? In case you haven't noticed, nothing is free today."

"Akima gave me her last few credits. They are useless on New Earth cause they've gotta build up an economy first. In addition I'll be using the _Valkyrie_'s last cash reserves I found in our former Captain's quarters. But how I got it is irrelevant! Now get moving!" She exited the bridge at a steady pace, heading on her way to the airlock. Preed and Gune followed their Mantrin Captain as fast as they could. When they reached the airlock Stith stopped abruptly. "Since we'll all be carrying supplies we gotta lock down the ship. I want no stinkin' intruders or stowaways sneakin' aboard" she grunted, the expression on her face turning serious. That way she forced her two-headed crew to come up with a solution, one she didn't expect to be coming from the Akrennian. "Gune, any ideas?"

"Gune believes he can lock the door with a voice recognition system. All you have to say next is 'open' and an authorization code. I have to modify some settings but I'm sure it will work when I do."

"How long will that take?" Stith asked, flattening an ear.

"Not long," he replied, rapidly starting on modifying the hatch locking system using the panel next to the door.

"Pro…" Stith said before Gune started typing like crazy, "…ceed," she finished the word.

"He sure's fast," Preed remarked, crossing his long slender arms.

"I can see that!" Stith bit back.

Less than two minutes later Gune finished, proudly presenting his work to his fellow crewmembers.

"You may now enter your voice patterns into the central computer. I shall serve as an example the first time." "Just imitate me: Open door, authorization: Gune, alpha one." He pressed the save-button and pointed at Preed. "Now your turn" he said, proud of his little ingenious mechanism.

"Hmmm, all right. Do you really think this will work?"

"In contrast to yourself, Gune has never been wrong," his Captain answered his question. Figuring it might be the best solution to just keep quiet and follow her orders, he stepped toward the panel while Gune pressed the record-button.

"Wait!" Stith grumbled, roughly grabbing Preed by his shirt, pushing and dragging him away from the panel. "Not you." He looked up into her eyes, watching them flicker with hate. "I don't want you to be able to sneak out behind my back."

"You really don't trust me, do you?"

Opening her clawed hand, studying it as if she just touched something filthy, she let go of him and stepped up to the panel.

"Did you figure that out all by yourself?" she spat back, thumping her tail against the bulkhead, leaving a dent into the metal. "My turn." Gune pressed 'record' again. "Open door, authorization: Stith, alpha one," she barked.

Gune saved all settings and activated the locking mechanism. Red letters blinked on the small panel: Voice locking mechanism activated.

"The ship is safe from any intruders now," the alien stated proudly.

"Good work Gune. Now let's bring over that message and get those supplies." Taking the lead, she absent-mindedly patted her favorite pair of blasters in the holsters on her hips, like she were preparing for battle. Normally she had to carry these close when docking at space ports. How she hated those places. Always filthy, filled with the stench of dozens of different species and always having to watch your back and especially your pockets as those could be empty in the blink of an eye. The fact that she was a Mantrin was a reason for most individuals to stay away but the more reckless ones still tried to play their nasty little tricks on her. Those who did would regret their decision afterwards. However a drifter colony was nothing for her to be concerned about and was one of the few places she actually liked to stop by and take a good look. Just like her own species, humans came in many different varieties and races and on the rare occasions when she had gotten the chance to try and eat their food, it turned out to be delicious. "Close door!" she yelled back at the docking hatch when they all left the ship and entered the docking tube. The airlock door closed automatically with a soft his. "I wonder why our Captain didn't come up with something like this earlier," she thought as she walked along the partially transparent tube.

Upon entering the station's main structure they were greeted by a large screen showing the internals of the colony. Holographic billboards showing all kinds of useless and useful information casted their colorful light on the environment of the lobby. A few humans and aliens were busy loading cargo but for the rest it was pretty much a standard drifter colony, although less stuffy and disorganized than some of the others Stith had seen from the inside. "Lemme see," she muttered as she rubbed her lower jaw with her clawed hand.

"Docking port 23A is the twenty-third deck," she said, pointing at the lighted map indicating their current position. "The command area is only two decks higher and the supply storage is on the seventeenth deck. There're cargo elevators here and here. It might be a good idea to bring over the message first. Then we've got all the time to carry over the supplies and conduct the necessary repairs."

"Couldn't agree more Captain," Preed replied, his remark having the opposite effect of his intention.

Stith fully ignored him as she had already made up her mind and walked toward the nearest elevator. She rammed the call-button and it didn't take long for the elevator to arrive. The elevator carriage came from above. However, when the doors opened they were greeted by two human guards.

"Greetings ma'am. We are under strict orders of quartermaster McKenzie to escort you to Commander James as quickly as possible."

"He said it was important," the left one added when he saw the hesitation and the distrust in the Mantrin's eyes.

Stith studied the two guards, her eyes narrowing to slits, something they noticed too. It satisfied her to see their discomfort. The left one was a bit taller and had short blond hair and green eyes. She estimated him around forty years old. The right one, with longer black hair and blue eyes was obviously younger than his companion but she had difficulty determining his age. They were both carrying side arms and wore some sort of uniform, which was unusual for humans aboard drifter colonies. Apparently they were supposed to keep the peace around the place.

"I guess there's nothing wrong with that," she finally decided, after a few seconds of silence and exchanging suspicious looks.

The trio entered the elevator, the two guards hastily stepping aside for the Mantrin's huge legs and her lashing tail. Each one of the _Valkyrie_ crewmembers thought different about the situation as the elevator ascended. Stith didn't fully trust the present situation but remained silent instead of pulling her guns. Preed didn't trust the situation either but didn't want to have a second near death experience. And Gune, was just being Gune, never thinking about the unpleasant things that could happen. A soft chime indicated the elevator reached its destination.

When the doors opened they saw a large command center behind a transparent barrier. People of lots of different worlds had their eyes focused on computer screens and were communicating over the com. The most interesting one of all of them was definitely the large blue-skinned alien with an impressive set of six arms. Each one of his arms was doing something different. A set of two was typing on a console, another one entering data into a holoscroll, and yet another one was bring a cup filled with a hot dark liquid to his mouth. Possibly some sort of coffee or something else to keep him awake and focused on his work. Behind the command center was a large window over the entire length of it showing the darkness of space mixed with the blue of the nebula with the edges of the gas giant in the lower left corner.

"Fascinating isn't it?" the taller guard said, when he saw their looks. "The thriving business in the entire colony depends on the people you see in this command center. But I don't think you're here for sightseeing. We'll take you to the Commander's office first."

The guards let them past the command center toward a metal door. The man had to use some force to open the non-automatic door, the screeching sound it produced causing Stith to grind her teeth and ask herself when that door had last seen some oil. The hinges must have been completely corroded, judging by the sound the door made. Behind this door was a well-lighted corridor followed by another door which was made of a transparent material with a logo imprinted into it. That at least looked like a worthy entrance to the office of the station's Commander although this was only a drifter colony. The taller guard pressed a button on the small panel next to this particular door.

"Commander James, I have brought our guests here as ordered."

A strong and confident female voice replied.

"Thank you Lieutenant. You're dismissed. As for our guests, they're clear to enter."

"But ma'am, they're armed, especially the Mantrin female," the guard replied shooting a glance at Stith's pair of blasters.

The way she looked at him when she noticed his glance was even more reason for concern.

"Thank you Lieutenant, you and your colleague can go now. I can handle them."

The female voice sounded full of strength and authority.

"_I can handle them?"_ Stith thought, wondering what kind of woman the voice belonged to. _Obviously never seen a Mantrin turn fierce in battle._

Stith had spent a short time in the Mantrin Imperial Guard, the military and spacefaring organization of her race. She could kill somebody with her bare hands in more than fifty different ways. She could kill a flea from two-hundred meters with any type of weapon she got in her hands without harming the animal it was parasitizing on. And then there were her large triple-jointed legs that were typical for Mantrins and capable of producing the most powerful kick in the galaxy. She was a flesh and blood war machine if she needed to be. The two men turned around and walked away, leaving them standing in front of the transparent door.

"The Commander will see you three now," the taller guard said before he and his companion left.

Stith opened the door of the office and signaled the others to come after her. When they stood in the office they were greeted by the unexpected beauty of its decoration. It was well-lighted and very neat. Plants of different worlds standing in the corners of the room spread a faint sweet odor. A large window provided a gorgeous view of the gas giants' outer atmosphere and a magnificent wooden desk was standing in the middle on one side of the room where Commander James sat. This all looked a bit too much like a symbol of wealth for someone who only commanded a drifter colony. Commander James looked up from her desk, her eyes twinkling in a friendly manor.

"Ah, Captain Stith of the _Valkyrie_, and her crew," she said with a smile, showing a row of orderly white teeth. She stood up from her black leather office chair and walked up to them, her long wavy red hair fluttering behind her back. She wore a black uniform with the station's logo on the shoulder: A gas giant with a space station and a cargo ship passing by. She had hard deep green eyes that still had the ability to twinkle friendly. Her slightly wrinkled skin showed some indication that she wasn't a woman in her young ages anymore, but more of an experienced veteran. She stuck out her hand. "Kyra James, Commander here at Texas Colony."

Stith slowly grabbed her hand with her massive right claw.

"I'm Stith, nice to meet ya."

The Commander shook her hand slowly but firmly. Her hands were soft and warm but with a sturdy grip.

"A Mantrin, Sogowan race. I don't get to see your species that often but I recognize a fellow soldier when I see one."

She studied Stith for a moment, her eyes slowly gliding over the details of the alien's face.

"I have served for some time in the Imperial Guard, that's right" Stith confirmed.

"And you are?" Kyra said, offered her hand to Preed.

Stith didn't fail to notice that her left eyebrow moved up a couple of notches.

"Preed. I'm the _Valkyrie_'s pilot."

He didn't take her hand but just stood there with his arms crossed.

"Pleasure," she replied, not knowing what to think of this strange figure. "And who're you?" she asked, also offering her hand to the small alien scientist.

"_I bet you've never seen an alien like him before," _Stith thought, a smile playing on her lips.

Gune grabbed her hand with both of his.

"Me Gune, I am brilliant scientist, also good at navigating and reading maps," he said with his funny voice and shaking her hand enthusiastically.

"Is he all right?" Kyra asked Stith.

"He might look a bit odd but he's never wrong and a good friend of mine."

"Well it's sure nice to meet you but you're not here for chit-chat. If that were the case we would be drinking tea or something. Supplies are being handled by my men. Nothing special beside food, spare parts, tools, fuel and medical supplies?"

"No, that'll do."

She wanted to move on to the important things. She wanted to be done with those repairs as quickly as possible.

"Well we could use a drink and maybe some relaxation," Preed immediately said.

"Preed you're recruited for only two hours now. R and R is out of the question for you!" Stith bit back at which Kyra frowned but didn't ask questions.

"Sorry to interrupt Captain, but I was told you had an important message for all humans aboard. Tell me and I'll make sure everybody gets to hear what you have to say," Kyra said honestly.

"No need to apologize Commander," Stith replied, one eye still locked on her smirking Akrennian officer, warning him to shut up or face the consequences.

"Are you aware of the fact that a new homeworld has been created for all humans to live on? You no longer have to live aboard a drifter colony. New Earth is a place where every human can live in peace and among its own kind. A lot of drifter colonies have already moved to the new planet. Why haven't you? You could say I'm under orders from Akima and Cale, the founders of New Earth to tell every human we meet about the place."

"Well I can give you a simple answer to your question," Kyra said calmly. "It's because we don't want to."

Stith was astonished. After fifteen years in space she didn't want to go back to a new flourishing world for all of humanity to live on? Not to mention that she sounded like she was making this decision for everyone aboard the station.

"You decide for everyone aboard this station?"

"Let me tell you something about the origin of Texas Colony," Kyra said to calm down the Mantrin. "Please, siddown," she said as she walked over to her workspace, gesturing at the comfortable chairs in front of her large wooden desk.

"I prefer to stand," Stith replied, feeling that the chair would not be comfortable enough for her species to sit in.

"Suit yourself," Kyra said with a shrug. The others sat down in front of the Commander's desk with their Captain standing in between them. Kyra took a seat in the large chair behind her desk that also wouldn't have failed to impress if it had been standing in the office of a world leader and took a deep breath. "Texas Colony was not an ordinary colony from the beginning. The amount of ships in our escape fleet was about twice as large as others and we had a lot of educated people on our ships. Engineers, architects, scientists, even soldiers from the former Earth Human Corps. Most of them already had a lot of experience with working in outer space. We traveled for weeks until our supplies ran low. There came a moment when we lost ships almost every day because they were just too old to make such a large trip. On a faithful day we passed along this gas giant when we noticed its atmosphere contained a lot of valuable minerals, elements and compounds. In addition, this gas giant is an important spot in the Kaldani solar system. The Kaldani sun became a supernova long ago and the inner planets were instantly destroyed. However this planet here survived. The supernova remnants formed a large nebula across the entire sector. Traveling through the nebula is impossible because the stellar dust clogs intake vents and manifolds disabling ship engines. Trade routes running through this system had to be rerouted to pass along the gas giant. This nebula is also rich in minerals and elements."

"This is all very fascinating but we didn't come here to listen to a story," Stith said, getting impatient.

She wanted to move on to Solbrecht to tell people who _did_ want to live on a world of their own about New Earth.

"Please let me finish it. I'll come to the important part later but this isn't irrelevant."

Her voice hadn't lost any of its friendliness. Maybe it was a bit rude of her to interrupt so Stith nodded and let her continue, controlling the urge to start tapping with her foot on the deck.

"The particles of the nebula are getting caught in the gas giant's gravitational pull. In short, the gas giant is growing. Do you see the facility there close to the planet?"

She pointed to a smaller installation outside the window which was orbiting the planet. The three nodded.

"That's the extraction facility. It's placed in geo-synchronous orbit in the atmosphere of the gas giant. It extracts those valuable compounds, elements and minerals and readies them for processing. That's how we survive. After processing they can be turned into lots of useful things, like fuel for ships, spare parts or raw materials for construction. It's good business with the traders in the surrounding sectors and after a few days we'd earned enough money and gathered the necessary materials to sustain ourselves, cultivate our own food and maintain the colony. We modified the station to accommodate more ships, upgraded its trade capabilities, turning what once had been a simple drifter colony into a trading station. And that's what it is now. I haven't fully answered your question yet. The complete answer is that we _did_ get the subspace message New Earth sent us. But the humans on this station are accustomed to life aboard a space station. They don't want to give it up. This is their home now." She paused for a moment. "Those who did wanna move, already did. The others have made their decision." She looked Stith in the eyes when she finished the story. "You might have noticed I'm wearing a uniform. With so many different species aboard one human space station there has to be some sort of order. People with a commanding role. Especially because humans haven't been the most popular species around in the last few years." A light integrated into Kyra's desk blinked, indicating someone wanted contact with the Commander. She pressed a button next to it. "Yes?"

"We've got the supplies ready for our guests Commander," a male voice replied.

"Thank you, they'll be there shortly," she said, tapping another button to end the transmission.

"Thank you for the message. The supplies are standing by as promised. Payment will be handled when you get there. The guy down there's been told about your coming so you don't have to look for him."

"Thanks for your time, we need to get going," Stith said, turning her attention to her crew.

"We've got work to do guys!"

"Maybe we'll meet again," Kyra said as goodbye.

"Perhaps," Stith replied with a nod, leading her crew out of her office.

They walked past the command center again on their way back to the elevators. Nobody seemed to notice them. They were all too busy doing their jobs.

"After we're done bringing the supplies aboard, I'll start working on those regulators," Stith said when the three entered one of the elevators which was still holding on this level. Gune pressed the button for the seventeenth floor where the supply storage was located. The doors closed and the elevator began its descend. Nobody said something on the way down. When the doors opened they were standing in a large but crowded place stacked with crates, boxes and barrels. The bay was a bit poorly lighted but it was still sufficient for people to see what they were doing. On the left side of the high metal walls were large blast doors. "These cargo elevators will get us moving faster, carry more in one ride," Stith said as she stepped out of the elevator into the supply storage. Preed and Gune followed. "Now where's that guy?" she spoke out loud.

"Over here" a male voice replied.

That voice sounded a bit too familiar and when Stith's mind made the connection between the voice and the face it belonged to she just couldn't believe her own ears. _What the heck?_

"There he is Captain," Preed said pointing at groups of people from various species near the supply storage bays. Stith was too surprised by the sound of the voice to hear his remark and just followed her ears. She began to walk into the direction the voice came from. Could it be? No it couldn't be him. There was no way he could've made it out alive. They could clearly hear more voices now. More people from the freighters probably, paying for anything and loading their stuff. One of the cargo elevators opened and a few aliens stepped inside, their anti-grav carts loaded with boxes and barrels. "Those will come in handy Captain," Preed said, pointing at the floating plateaus.

"Yes we don't have to carry them if we use those anti-grav carts" Gune added.

Stith still didn't hear it. She walked to the place where the male voice came from. A man was standing behind a computer terminal with his back toward them, busy with payments from the freighter personnel. Stith walked up to him, followed by Preed and Gune. His hair, the build of his body, only due to his clothes she couldn't be sure.

"What's up?" he asked, turning around to face the newcomers.

Stith's beak dropped open when she looked him in the eyes. Those blue eyes in combination with the always present short beard covering his chin. She looked into the eyes of her former Captain. The man she had considered dead. It was Joseph Korso, former Captain of the _Valkyrie_.


	5. Chapter 3 Captain's Orders

**Captain's Orders**

* * *

Preed's mouth also dropped open and Gune's eyes grew even bigger than they already were. Korso obviously didn't expect to ever see his former crew again. He was speechless as were the three aliens in front of him, if only for a moment. Stith was the first to say something.

"How?- What the?-"

She just couldn't believe she was talking to the man she had considered death after his heroic act aboard the _Titan. _Admitted, he _did _give all of them a nasty stab in the back but he had tried to buy it off with his own life. Korso couldn't believe his eyes either. It really was unmistakably him.

"I- I didn't-" he stuttered, doing a step back.

"What the hell're you doing here?" Stith finally got out.

She was both angry and surprised at the same time, doing a large step forward, causing Korso to back away from her.

"This is gonna be long story," Korso replied, scratching the back of his head.

"It's the Captain, it's the Captain!" Gune squawked, jumping up and down.

"Guney, please calm down," Preed murmured, in his voice a slight undertone of irritation a good listener wouldn't fail to notice.

He felt the urge to 'accidently' stick out a leg so that the alien would trip on his already flat nose but managed to withhold himself from doing that.

"Lemme save this thing first, then I'll tell you. You don't have to worry about your supplies. It's already been arranged. D'you wanna pay now, _Captain_?"

"Got a credit chip somewhere," Stith replied, grabbling in one of the pockets of her pants.

Retrieving it she tossed it to Korso who slit it in a slot in the console, updated the cargo manifests and inventory. Tapping a few buttons on the console, he transferred the credits and handed it over to his former weapons expert. Slipping it back in her pocket, she snorted and shot him a look Korso translated as impatience and maybe even disgust. He knew how she thought about him and couldn't blame her.

"Your supplies are standing by in bay three. You might wanna borrow a few of those anti-gravs. It'll save you the backache." He sighed, knowing she wouldn't leave without an explanation. Figuring he owed her at least that much, he locked the computer system with an encryption code to keep out any individuals who were looking for a way to raise the numbers on their own accounts with a quick and not so legal transfer and walked over to a small cabin in the corner of the supply stash. "Come and I'll tell you what you wanna hear."

The shack he called his office was small and a bit stuffy. More room for three chairs and something that resembled a coffee machine was not available. Korso sat down in the chair behind the small metal desk chair and offered the other ones to the trio.

"You might wanna sit down," he said, putting his feet, covered by thick leather boots on the desk. "Coffee?" he asked, filling a cup with a brown liquid that did little more than keep him awake during the late and the early hours. They told him it was coffee but his taste buds had a different opinion about that. At least it was better than nothing.

"No thanks," Stith said impatiently. Sitting down on that tiny chair was a whole exercise for her and the thing protested against her weight with a screeching sound. Gune sat next to her and Preed was left standing. Not that there was room left for a fourth chair. Her large triple-jointed legs barely fit into the small cabin and Korso had to make sure to watch his tongue. _"One wrong word and my foot might slip," _she thought, wishing Preed would stop standing so close to her.

She just knew he did that on purpose, either to annoy her or another more perverted reason. If one foot didn't get the chance to hit something the other might. Korso took a sip from his coffee and felt something unpleasant moving up and down his spine. The taste was horrible but at least it helped him think straight.

"So, what do you wanna know?" he asked, leaning back as far as the space allowed it.

"Everything." Stith responded rather suddenly, trying to make eye contact which the guy in front of her seemed to avoid.

Betrayal was at the top of her most-hated-things-list -though it probably had to share the first place with Preed- and despite trying to make up for it with his own life, the simple fact that he was now sitting next to her was enough to get her upset.

"All right, I'll start from the moment Cale left me with that circuit breaker." Putting the cup down, which contents were too hot to drink without getting a mouth full of blisters anyway, he began to tell. "The breaker was completely jammed, so getting it to work the way it was supposed to be was impossible within that fraction I had. The Drej were shooting up the place and one of their explosions blew me against the console, a piece of metal piercing my spacesuit and my body."

His face twisted in pain when he said that. Stith looked at him without as much as a flinch. _Trying to make me feel sorry for you isn't gonna work pal. _

"Instead of trying to repair the breaker I used the gun instead, forcing it between the two contacts, to give that power some direction. The energy was beginning to flow already and I got electrocuted." He shook his head. "I was really lucky to fall off the moment it happened. I think the suit worked as an insulator, preventing too much of the current from running through my body, otherwise I would've been fried in an instant. Burns on over sixty percent of my body was the other alternative but the energy also fused the wound shut. Unfortunately I'd lost a great deal of blood already so I was in a weakened state, you know, dizzy, black spots in front of my eyes. On top of that my oxygen supply was almost gone too so I had to spare what I had left. I tried to handle as quickly as I could, trying to remember what happened when the Titan was prepped and fired up. Not good though, I knew I barely had a few seconds left so I used some valve sealant to cover that hole in my suit." His face twisted again but he stopped as soon as he realized that it didn't have any effect on the Mantrin's facial expression. "Damn, I gotta tell ya, that kinda hurts. Anyway, I knew that during the beginning of the transformation sequence any ships docked with the _Titan_ would be ejected instantly. I figured Cale and Akima's little ship must have been still out there. I blasted myself out of the maintenance area on thrusters to find out the _Phoenix_ had indeed been ejected from the _Titan_. It hovered a couple a dozen meters lower. When I looked up, the Drej mothership was being destroyed by a feedback pulse from the _Titan_. From that moment on I realized I finally did something right, though I didn't have time to enjoy the moment. I blasted off to the only escape route I had, my only chance of making it outta there alive, using the emergency airlock to enter. I dunno what happened, just stumbled to the cockpit, barely conscious, fired the thing up and hit the thrusters. I had to get out of range or become a part of the new planet myself. That's the escape-from-the-_Titan-_part." He chuckled softly and shook his head while trying to remember what happened afterwards. The lack of oxygen and the blood loss had made him lightheaded and during his escape it was more like his instinct that got him out of danger than logical thought. It was kind of like a miracle that he made it out of there alive. "How ironic, that ship was meant to save what's left of humanity but it could have been my death."

Gune was really amazed and gaping at the man. Preed was too but didn't show it. But Stith however still didn't blink. _So he managed to get away, so what? Does he expect me to start cheering or something? _ She had to admit, the human did a good job but that still didn't take away that he had tried to sell them all out.

"And how did you get here?"

The _Phoenix_ was only a tiny little ship Cale had managed to fix thanks to his amazing talent with machinery. It had been one of the first deep space vessels ever to explore the galaxy. Its limited range was not enough to get him this far.

"Well it wasn't easy, believe me," Korso replied. "While you were all busy watching a planet take shape, I made it out. Cale made me realize I made a mistake and I figured there was no place for me on New Earth so I set course for the nearest human colony. But the fuel and rations wouldn't take me anywhere near inhabited systems and I was still badly injured. The only thing I could find aboard that ship was a small emergency medkit. It didn't matter though. Only moments after my escape I passed out, the ship drifting further away into deep space. When I woke up I found myself in the med bay of an alien freighter. They told me my ship was adrift in space and they found me barely alive. Luckily they had good med tech. There's not a single scar left." Touching the skin of his face and arms where he must have been wounded, he let out a sigh. "That freighter was on route for Texas Colony and that leads me inevitably to here." Grabbing his cup of coffee, he took a sip and leaned back. "I'm not bound to this place. I can leave whenever I want, but then I gotta take care of my own. But oh yeah, I don't have a ship so in some way, I am bound to his place. There's not much more to say."

It was silent for a moment. He drunk from his coffee, despite the taste and waited for a response, that came from Gune.

"Oooh, our former Captain is a herooo!"

"Maybe I am. Sort of," Korso replied rather nonchalant.

It was partially true but someone didn't seem to agree with that. Stith stood up from the small chair, towering above Korso, her ears nearly touching the ceiling of the small cabin. The expression on her face didn't exactly predict that she was going to pat her former Captain on the back and complement him for his heroic actions. "If I have to give myself one good reason, it is that you are, in some way responsible for saving our lives." She spoke calm and controlled but with a clear presence of anger in her voice. "But I'm still trying very hard not to make you pay for what you did. The fact that Preed is still here is the only other reason."

"Well thank you for that, my dear," Preed replied softly.

Turning around lightning fast, she grabbed him by his throat and battered him with his back against the metal wall, her face dangerously close to his.

"Shut… up," she said venomously. "If I were any other member of my race, you would be begging for mercy right now."

He nodded vaguely, realizing her claws were very close to a place where they could cause a lot of damage. He coughed when she decided to release him, the filthy look still in her eyes when she turned her attention to Korso.

"_By the Gods, you're beautiful when you're angry"_ Preed thought.

It was as if she had _heard _his thought because he was slapped by her tail afterwards. Caught in her gaze was Korso, knowing he could do very little if she decided to take action.

"If you wanna kill me, I can't stop ya."

A faint smile crept along his face, when he looked up in her copper-colored eyes that flickered with anger. She nearly took up all the space the small office had to offer as she stood there, lashing her tail in a threatening way, glaring down her muzzle at the in comparison small human.

"Maybe you are a hero," she eventually said. "Without you, your race would still be without a planet." She seemed to calm down a bit. Leaving the chair for what it was she kept standing and crossed her muscular arms. "Now what changed your mind anyway?"

"Cale. Definitely Cale. When I looked in his eyes I could see his determination to save humanity no matter the cost. I could just envy him about that. He never seemed to have lost hope. I did. At first I believed the good old professor Tucker. I believed we had a chance. But fifteen years in space changes a guy. The galaxy suddenly isn't such nice a place anymore." He took another sip from his coffee. "Well, you really should be going. Those supplies aren't gonna load themselves."

"Well, Korso, there's something I wanna say to ya."

She breathed a sigh, not sure if this was the right thing to do. At least it felt like the right thing to her.

"And what would that be?"

He already prepared himself for another argument with his former weapons expert. "I want you to take command again."

Korso almost spat out the coffee he just drunk.

"You what?"

His mind was in a state of pure confusion and disbelief. He could start turning around things but the fact remained that he betrayed them and he sort of betrayed Stith too. She was far from being forgiving, especially with traitors and would sooner kill them right where they stood than give them a second chance. Did she even know that he agreed with Preed's plan to get rid of her and Gune? And now she wanted him back as her commanding officer from which she had to take orders?

"I want you to be Captain of the _Valkyrie_ again. We all want that, right guys?" she said, looking at Preed in particular in a way that didn't leave room for his own opinion.

Both Gune and Preed nodded quickly.

"But why? A moment ago I thought you were gonna kill me."

The sudden change of attitude was not like her. Was this really the same Stith he got to know during all that time?

"You want your ship back or not?" she snarled, getting impatient.

"Well yeah, but why?" he still asked.

Stith sighed.

"I guess I'm not feeling comfortable anymore commanding a ship that still belongs to you. You said you weren't bond to this place so you can come along with us."

"Well, I won't argue with that."

"Good, that's settled then," Stith decided, making her way out of the cramped cabin. "Let's get those supplies. The ship is in need of repairs and I still have to replace that regulator." Adding deeds to her words, she left, walking towards bay three with Preed and Gune on her tail. "Oh, I forgot to tell. I haven't used the Captain's quarters yet. Didn't have time to move my stuff up there anyway."

Leaving the bad coffee for what it was, Korso left the office and joined his former crew.

"I wouldn't blame ya if you did Stith." "Oh, Preed?" Korso halted his former First Mate. The Akrennian turned around to face him and murmured. "Sorry for snapping your neck. I didn't really want to kill ya at first but I had to make sure you didn't get the chance to interfere again."

Preed didn't reply but just showed his Captain his wolfish grin. He couldn't really blame him for what he did since he was the one who betrayed Korso and not the other way around.

Taking a few anti-grav carts out of storage Korso demonstrated his crew how to use them. "Those anti-gravs are very handy for these kinds of jobs," he said, activating one of them. A slight vibration went through the platform, then it detached itself from the ground and kept floating at a couple of inches above the deck. "The height on which they hover is variable. Just slide one under a pallet and increase its hover height. If we load them to maximum we should be able to clear the job within two maybe three runs."

Looking at the alien crew of the ship he captained again, they all nodded in acknowledgement.

"Captain, I better start workin' on those engines after my first run. It shouldn't take long," Stith decided.

It was more like a statement than a request for permission but Korso nodded. The sooner that thing was fixed the sooner they could get underway.

"Permission granted." He loved it when he got that Captain's feeling back. "Preed, Gune, you two are with me."

"Yes Captain," they both acknowledged.

They all took one of the carts and slit them under the loaded pallets for their first run, pushing them effortlessly towards the elevators. Even Gune, despite being small didn't seem to have any trouble with it. The elevator carriage provided more than enough room for the loaded carts and their operators as they were purely designed for the job of moving cargo up and down. The ship was docked at the twenty-third deck and when the elevator arrived they headed straight for the docking tube. A lonely alien was loading the last of his supplies inside the ship connected to another docking port.

"How's it going?" Korso asked.

"Almost done, almost done," the alien of unknown race grunted. "That's the last of them."

Walking through the docking tube, a layer of transparent material forming the walls and ceiling the only thing that separated their fragile bodies from the vacuum of space, Preed was the only one who broke the silence.

"We should take one or two of those with us, they are indeed very handy."

"Preed! You're even lazier then I thought," Stith growled, not planning to change her tone toward him, even though she wasn't in command anymore.

"Preed, taking something without asking or paying for it is called _stealing_, remember?" Korso replied.

He shot the Akrennian a look of disapproval.

"Yes Captain. It was just a thought," Preed smirked, to the annoyance of Stith.

"Open door, authorization: Gune, alpha one."

"Voice print recognized,"the computer confirmed, the airlock door sliding open with a soft hiss.

"You can deactivate the locking mechanism now Gune," Stith said. "I'll be replacing that regulator."

"Good work keeping the ship safe. I'm quite impressed," Korso complimented.

"Thank you Captain," Gune squawked, smiling proudly.

"Let's get those supplies to the cargo bay guys!"

Unloading the goods in the cargo area of the ship, Stith placed her cart on top of Korso's and headed for the engine room with a new regulator component from the fresh supply load.

"I'll make sure that thing runs smoothly again," she promised her Captain.

"I'm counting on that. Come on, Preed, Gune, the sooner we're done, the sooner we leave."

Preed sighed and silently followed his Captain back to the docking hatch. He didn't know if he should be glad to have Korso back or not but at least it was better than having the cranky Mantrin in command.

When Stith arrived in the engine room she noticed that her toolbox was standing right where she left it. The reactor core, placed horizontally in the middle in the middle of main engineering was glowing with a faint pulsating light. _This shouldn't take long_. Sinking on her lower set of knees she pulled off the panel that provided access to the upper left engine's ion flow regulator compartment and took a look inside.

"Take the old one out, put the new one in, can't be too difficult," she murmured.

Removing the old component by pulling it out of its socket, she took a look. _Almost fried. When was the last time these things saw a replacement?_ Fortunately they were modular, thus easy to replace and that saved her the mechanical work. Checking the socket for corrosion she accidentally touched one of the exposed conduits with her fingers. There was a flash and a shock went through her hand up to her arm. A tiny bit of smoke curled up from the compartment and the smell of something burning entered her nostrils.

"Damn it!" she cursed, sticking her fingers in her beak. _I thought these conduits were powered down._ _Must have been a little leftover of energy._

While Stith continued her work on the regulator assembly, conducting small repairs, maintenance and running test sequences, Korso, Preed and Gune were already done resupplying and on the way to take the anti-grav carts back. Putting them back in storage, Korso took a moment to collect what little belongings he had at the station.

"Ready to go Captain," Preed said when his Captain returned.

"Well let's get going then."

Leading the way he hadn't accounted for the station suddenly trembling heavily and they had trouble keeping themselves on their feet. Boxes and barrels started moving around the bay and a single barrel tumbled and fell on its side.

"What's that Captain?" Preed asked, cocking his only good ear.

"I dunno," Korso replied, trying to listen too if he could hear something.

If this was an emergency situation he wouldn't hesitate to help the colony's inhabitants out. They were good people after all. The station trembled again, this time more intense and they all felt to the ground. Boxes and crates dropped out of racks spilling their contents over the floor and a collection of barrels joined the first one and rolled over the deck until the wall stopped them with a loud series of bangs. Sparks erupted out of overloading power relays and the lights went off for a short second, then came back on. A familiar voice sounded over the internal com.

"This is Commander Kyra James to all personnel: Battle stations! Battle stations! I repeat all crews to battle stations, this is not a drill! We have incoming ships attacking the station!"

"The station is under attack!" Gune yelled in panic.

The alien began to run in circles but was stopped by his Captain.

"Shouldn't we, you know, go back to the ship?" Preed asked, unable to hide the trickle of fear that appeared on his face.

"Battle stations?" Korso replied, with a look at his First Mate, as if he could find the answer to the question written on his forehead. "Those meteor zappers? No way. There're just a few turrets for shooting rocks. I doubt they would do any good against an attacking ship."

Preed's wristcom beeped and Stith's voice came through when he answered the call.

"Preed! What's taking you so long? Scanners are picking up weapons fire nearby!"

Korso grabbed Preed's communicator before he could respond.

"Stith, you better be done with those engines. This station can defend itself against floating rocks but nothing more."

"All done Captain. I'm on the bridge. Detecting several ships on an approach vector."

"Prep the ship for departure, we're comin'."

Giving Preed his communicator back he led the way back to the elevators. When the elevator rose to the twenty-third floor for the last time the station trembled again, the sound of laser turrets firing echoing through the shaft, the characteristic sound of discharging capacitors urging Korso to hurry.

"C'mon guys, move it or lose it!" Easier said than done for Gune though. The short alien couldn't run as fast but still tried his best, knowing his life was in danger. Dashing out of the elevator to the docking ports, they raced through the transparent tube to the docking hatch. Fighters of at first sight unknown design flew overhead, their hulls narrowly missing the tube, firing their weapons at the colony's outer hull. The hatch opened with a hiss and closed behind them as soon as they were all inside. Preed handed it his communicator over to Korso again as they all sprinted to the bridge. "Stith, break off and bring weapons online! We're heading for the bridge!"

"Understood Captain!"

The _Valkyrie_ broke off from the docking installation, its front atmospheric airfoils unfolding. As Stith drove the engines to full power the ship blasted off for open space and into battle.

_**Authors note: Music track 2 (Unknown Enemy)**_

Arriving on the bridge everyone quickly took their stations.

"What're we up against Stith?"

Stith was already standing at her favorite place behind the weapons, trying to get a lock on her first target.

"Can't tell Captain. I've never seen one of these before. Nothing familiar. But they're armed and they're darned fast."

Korso looked at her tactical console and studied the design of the alien ships. The fighters had a symmetrical shape, were approximately twenty meters in length and looked rather machine-like. The closest thing they resembled was that of an earth ray including a somewhat smaller tail.

"Target their ships and hail them!"

He was talking to no one in common but apparently Gune was on it.

"They are not talking back Captain!"

"I don't think they will Captain," Preed added dryly. "My scanners are not picking up any life forms aboard those ships."

"How many are there?" Korso asked, climbing the stairs toward the upper deck.

"There are eighteen ships harassing the station. I don't think they consider us a treat."

"_No not yet," _Korso thought, clenching his teeth. That would change the moment they pointed their guns. But in the mean time the station was taking damage. The powerful red-glowing laser beams excelled at cutting through hull plating, releasing the station's atmosphere and condemning the people in those sections to death by rapid decompression. A single leak could eventually cause the atmosphere to blow out with an explosive force, tearing out the entire bulkhead in the process. Several freighters were trying to leave the area before getting caught by the attackers. They had limited weapons and couldn't risk a fight. "They're trying to cut a hole. We gotta stop 'em. Stith, get to it."

The order barely left his mouth when Stith fired the first shot.

"They don't even know that they're already dead," she muttered, curving the edges of her beak into an evil smirk. Locking the _Valkyrie_'s laser cannons she targeted one of the nearby ships, the guns powerful barrage pounded on an invisible barrier before it got the chance to hit the hull. "They got some kinda energy shielding!" Stith yelled, angry it ruined her perfect shot.

"I am reading fluctuation in their power grid Captain," Gune said, keeping a close eye on sensors.

"Again!" Korso ordered.

"You got it," Stith acknowledged.

Firing the guns again, her series of blasts broke through the shield and ripped through the hull. The vessel exploded into a ball of quickly dissipating fire, pieces of debris flying in all directions. Two more ships saw the same fate. Now there were still three patrols of three ships, each one of them guarding the group of six attacking the station. The loss of three ships didn't unnoticed however. At a given moment one of the patrols broke off, locking weapons on the _Valkyrie_. Firing their laser weapons, the beams scorched the _Valkyrie_'s hull on the starboard side, unable to penetrate the hull with a single blast. Fortunately the ship had such thick armor.

"The armor is holding Captain," Gune reported, but with look of concern on his face while he trying to hold on to his chair as the ship trembled under the violent force of the attack.

The armor was holding but that was only a matter of time under this violence.

"Hard to port! Fire the aft cannons!"

The ship made a sharp left turn and Stith quickly flicked a switch to give her direct control over the aft cannons. The Mantrin was in her element and it didn't take long before the middle ship blasted into scattering pieces. However, the two remaining vessels evaded the next incoming blast and fired their own weapons instead.

"They're targeting our engines!" Preed yelled, battling with the controls to try and evade. An explosion sounded from the lower decks.

"We've taken damage!" Gune yelled.

"Preed, get us out of their weapons range!" "Stith, end it!"

"By all means Captain! Die, stupid machines!" she shouted, destroying the remaining two ships quickly.

Apparently they did the trick as the ships attacking the station suddenly stopped firing, broke off and aimed for the _Valkyrie_ instead.

"I think we're considered a treat now," Korso said, allowing himself a wry smile.

Stith fired at the lead ship. Its shield failed and it took damage, the engines failing, rendering it harmless. The others began swarming and attacking the _Valkyrie_, their high-powered beam weapons inflicting damage on the ship's hull. One of the consoles on the upper deck exploded, a rain of sparks showering down on the deck.

"We're taking more damage!" Preed grunted. "Aft stabilizers are offline. I can't make any sudden maneuvers or we'll risk being tossed around."

"Return fire!" Korso yelled at his weapons expert, evading another shower of sparks near his location.

A fire started near the one of the consoles and he quickly took a fire extinguisher to put it out.

"There's too many of 'em!" Stith yelled back. Another blast took the weapons offline. "I've lost weapons!"

Suddenly it was quiet. The sounds of weapons fire faded away and the ship stopped trembling.

"They… they've stopped Captain," Gune said, a clear undertone of relief in his voice.

The alien didn't really like fighting and was glad that their lives were no longer in danger.

"Why are they retreating? They had us outnumbered and outgunned," Korso asked aloud, stepping toward the bubble-shaped window to find out where they went.

The group of ships broke off their attack and left both the _Valkyrie_ and the station with its docked ships alone.

"I guess we'll never know but I'm glad they did," Preed replied, letting go of the controls with a sigh.

The remaining vessels made a jump to warp and disappeared.

"What kinda damage did they do to the colony?" Korso asked, fearing for the lives aboard that station.

"Nothing too serious I believe," Preed replied, checking the scans.

"They'll manage themselves," his Captain murmured. "They're resourceful people." Suddenly he was surprised by a very uncomfortable feeling. New Earth! If New Earth was attacked by ships like these they would be unable to defend the planet. "Damage report people!"

"One of the engines took damage and they've scorched the hull," Preed murmured. "Nothing we can't handle. I've got stabilizers back."

"Weapons are down but I can fix that," Stith grunted, making preparations to carry out her own order. _Darned ships giving me a lot of extra work. Great._

"Gune set a course for New Earth, best possible speed. They can't defend themselves. If these ships arrive there they're toast."

"Maximum speed Captain," Gune squawked, calculating a trajectory for Preed to follow.

As the _Valkyrie_ jumped to warp the crew made preparations to repair the damage on the move.

"Repair any damage as quickly as possible." Leaving the main steering deck he walked down the metal stairs to the lower level. "I'm in my quarters for a short while. After that I'll join you." He was about to leave the bridge when he turned to his crew for the last time, making room for Stith as she walked by on her way to engineering. "Oh, and Preed?"

"Yes Captain?"

"You just got yourself your position of First Mate back. Don't spoil it!"

There was a warning undertone in his voice and while trying to find Preed's eyes, the Akrennian showed him his wolfish grin.

"I wouldn't dare Captain."

Certain he shouldn't trust the guy blindly anymore he left. From now on he needed an extra set of eyes to keep on Preed. If he tried anything funny, it would be the last thing he'd ever do.


	6. Chapter 4 Distress

**Distress**

* * *

When Korso entered the Captain's quarters he noticed nothing changed since he left. Okay, it was a bit messy but they'd been shot at just a moment ago so that was no surprise. Cleaning up the mess first he began on a fresh new recording for the personal log he had been keeping ever since he called this ship his own. He seriously doubted that someone would ever take the time to listen to all of those log recordings but tied together they formed his life as it had been for the past fifteen years. His memories, all the events, everything he had been through were stored inside the memory of this ship's computer. Now that he was back, he decided to pick up that routine habit again.

"Personal log, January 19th, 3044. I never thought I would make another recording aboard this ship but life can take all kinds of directions. I'm glad I got you back old bird. I'm sure Stith wouldn't have taken good care of you. She would've made a fine Captain, I'm confident of that. First thing I've done so far is fighting a battle the moment I came aboard. Didn't expect that. Never seen such ships before. Not even operated by a pilot but deadly and efficient. We're heading back to New Earth. They're building a place for what's left of the human race and if these ships decide to show up there they're gonna start tearing it up before they can start. No idea who they are anyway. Just started shooting and disappeared before they could finish. Just great. Drej gone and we get these guys instead. Those vessels we encountered pose a threat to everyone and New Earth has no defenses whatsoever. I don't think Akima and Cale are happy to see me but I think I'll manage. Damn, what have I done? And all because of the money I wouldn't have gotten anyway. Cale convinced me that we could beat those blue bastards and he did it. I admire the kid. I really do. Seemed to have more confidence in humanity than I ever had. I lost it long ago between the stars before I took him aboard. He really has the ability to give people hope."

He paused, summarizing the events of the past few days in his mind and translating them into words.

"I was only working at Texas Colony for two days till my former crew appeared in front of me. Man, was I surprised. They were good people. Got a job, my own private space. Fortunately I have some experience with hauling cargo in the past. They told me the poor guy before me died in an unfortunate accident regarding a broken airlock; blew him right into space." He shook his head feeling sorry for his predecessor. "But I can say that I'm glad to be back in command. You served me well old girl. The past few years have been difficult but you never let me down." He saved the recording and left his quarters. The crew could use some help and he was not going to play foreman of the slave ship. As part of a crew you helped each other out, no matter what rank you held.

The engine room was his first stop, to check the damage the unknown ships had caused here and when he arrived he found Stith conducting repairs. The pulse of the reactor core was like a powerful heartbeat, glowing at the rhythm of its pulses. A large toolbox was standing in the middle of the cramped space and several conduits were exposed and wires dangled from the ceiling. The Mantrin was busy with the cluttered wires and conduits behind the bulkheads. How she managed to get in between the bulkhead with her large profile was a bit of a mystery to him but she was the engineer here and knew how to get the job done.

"How bad is it Stith?"

She stopped working on whatever it was she was working on and stuck her head out of a hatch in the starboard wall.

"Nothing I can't fix Captain. I know this thing. Just replacing some power couplings and everything should be up and running again. Lucky that she's so thick-hulled. A little more to the left and their weapons would've hit the power distribution node. But if that were the case we wouldn't be going anywhere right now."

"All right, keep up the good work. I'll be on the bridge. Report there when you're done."

He left the engine room, leaving Stith to her work. The Mantrin never failed him. She was the best there was and her species truly deserved their reputation as warriors and weapons experts. And they sure knew a thing about engineering too. Mantrin weaponry was the best in every class and could be quite expensive but at least you wouldn't be disappointed in any way.

Heading back to the bridge he found Preed conducting repairs as well. He was busy replacing blown power relays and running integrity checks on the ship's internal circuitry since power surges could very well compromise their ability to process data. The power relays had a build-in safety mechanism to catch these surges but if they blew because of an overload, the small feedback pulse created by the explosion could affect other systems.

"Just replacing some power relays Captain. Anyone can do that."

"I told Stith to report back to the bridge as soon as she's finished. I want you there as well."

"I will, I will."

Muttering something indistinct he continued his work but Korso decided not to pay too much attention to it.

Arriving on the bridge he found Gune working on the damaged consoles on the upper level. Hoping there wasn't any extensive damage he climbed the stairs, hearing the small alien talking under his work.

"How're you doing Gune?"

"Fine, fine, it will work again when Gune's finished."

"D'you need a hand?"

"No, no, no it's good, it's good," the alien replied with his head inside the starboard bulkhead.

"Okay, I'll be in my ready room."

Gune didn't even seem to hear it, but shrieked when he accidentally touched an exposed wire and got punished. Raising a brow Korso left the bridge through the door in the back that lead to a private space. He took a seat in one of the chairs near the window and scored himself a drink. Eventually he began another recording for his log and added a few more details to the one he recorded earlier. After a while without even noticing, he had fallen asleep.

"Captain. Captain!" He heard Stith's voice over and over again. It was as if she were shouting directly in his ear. He also heard the scraping of claws on metal and the thumbs of large feet. He woke up a bit dizzy. _Alcohol definitely has more effect on an empty stomach_. "Captain, there's something that requires your attention!"

Stith had come into his ready room after he didn't answer her calls. He couldn't really blame her and the reason was obviously important enough for her to take the risk. Not that _she _had anything to fear from _him_.

"All right, I'm coming!"

He stumbled to the door, supporting his head in the mean time. _Maybe that second drink wasn't such a good idea._ Wondering what in the universe's name was so important he slammed the metal door shut and futily tried to rub the sleepy feeling out of his eyes.

"What's the matter? What's so important?"

Walking toward the Captain's chair he let himself fall down, his legs suddenly feeling like they were made of rubber. The whole crew had reported back to the bridge as ordered and were waiting for orders.

"We're picking up a distress call," Stith reported, flattening an ear, suspecting that her Captain had been drinking. "Captain?"

She had raised her voice because he didn't reply immediately, shaking him awake a little.

"All right! Well put it up, let's hear it. Gune, the translation matrix?"

"Already working Captain."

"It appears to be audio only Captain," Preed said, trying a few recursive algorithms to retrieve some of the lost data. "Pretty garbled, looks like someone doesn't want it to come true."

"Try and clear it up a bit and put it on speakers."

Gune pressed a button and a low-pitched male voice sounded over the com.

"This is Captain Kero of the Imperial starship _Myrana_… Under attack… Unknown vessels… Systems failing… Taking severe damage… Can't hold them of any… 'Static' Reactor breach imminent… 'Static'."

The transmission ended, a lot of static coming through only. Suddenly Korso was awake and all serious. Maybe that ship was attacked by the same ships that attacked the colony.

"Preed, can you pinpoint the location of that ship?"

"I believe so Captain."

"Then set a course. We gotta help 'em out. Gune, how far to New Earth?"

"Less than two light years Captain."

"Take us to that ship. We're gonna do what we can."

Indeed this was serious. He was certain he heard the words 'Imperial starship'. That could only mean one thing. The attackers had a lot of nerve. But whoever this Kero was, he wasn't going to be there any longer if they didn't do something. The necessary course corrections to intercept were made in the blink of an eye thanks to Gune's brilliant navigation and Preed brought the ship to warp as soon as he received them. Stith however could feel anger growing inside of her. Attacking an Imperial warship was the most foolish thing someone could do as most of them carried an arsenal large enough to disintegrate a small moon. But not all of their ships were built for war and if this was just a science vessel it was a coward's tactic. She actually hoped that the attackers would still be there. _Someone's gonna pay for this._

When the _Valkyrie_ dropped out of warp a couple of thousand clicks from the source of the signal, they found the vessel adrift. The ship took a severe beating. The bow of the cruiser was shaped like a large wing of approximately seventy-five meters in diameter with build-in engine nacelles and the command module on top of it. This wing was connected to a large thick tail ending in a cross shaped end with four smaller wingtips. Each of these wingtips held an engine nacelle, making it a smaller faster ship in battle. Its speed didn't save it out of this fight though. Preed's scanners picked up three major hull breaches and the upper and aft right engine were leaking plasma. One of the breaches in the hull was leaking reactor coolant. Some of the atmosphere had already escaped and the moist in the air had crystallized the moment it was released into the vacuum. As Stith and Korso expected, the ship carried the markings of the Mantrin Imperial Guard.

"That must've been one helluva fight," Korso said, studying the damaged ship through the main window. Walking down the stairs to the lower level, he hoped for signs leading to the ones responsible. "Readings? Preed?"

"My scanners are picking up only a few bio signs, but they're very faint. Most systems appear to be offline including the com. Life support is working but I don't know for how long and I'm also detecting a power buildup inside the ship. Their reactor seems to be overloading. May I advise putting some distance between us and that ship Captain?"

"No, we're not!"

The shout came from Stith, who clenched her teeth in anger, her hands balled to fists. Her voice trailed off into a rumbling growl and Korso instantly knew she wanted revenge for those who died aboard that ship.

"Stith, that ship will be dust within a few minutes. Boarding it is suicide and those enemies might come back to finish what they've started. You don't even know what to encounter."

He walked up to her to try and calm her down but she was determined to do what she could.

"They've attacked an Imperial vessel without provocation. They'll pay for what they've done. I know it's dangerous but I'm not going to watch them die. Preed, dock with that ship or I'll remove your head!"

Her copper-colored eyes flickered with anger and looking into those he instantly knew he couldn't change her mind. Mantrins had a great sense of honor and loyalty and Stith would want revenge for the dead crewmen whenever she got the chance. Joining his crew didn't mean she'd put her honor aside. On the contrary, the fire of the warrior that burned in every Mantrin's pair of hearts was visible in her eyes right now. She looked very frightening as she stood in front of him this way, lashing her tail, balling her fists, her well-trained arm muscles tensing under the sleeves of her shirt.

"If you really wanna go through with this, I'll go with you."

He put a hand on her shoulder, to calm her down a bit. He didn't want her to board that ship driven by anger and rash thoughts. It had the opposite effect however.

"No, it's too dangerous," she grunted, knocking his hand away. "I have to do this alone. Besides, I've served aboard an Imperial starship. The design is similar. You would only slow me down."

"Okay but be quick about it. And don't let your anger get the better of you. Preed, how much time?"

"I estimate approximately twenty-five minutes before the reactor reaches critical."

He turned his attention to Stith again, still not entirely feeling comfortable with the situation. Riddled with holes, the ship shared more similarities with a piece of Swiss cheese.

"I'm going to time you. I want you to get outta there when my chrono reaches ten minutes, understood?"

Stith nodded and grunted impatiently.

"We're wasting time."

"Stith?"

"Yes sir."

That came out with great reluctance but he had what he needed: Her promise.

"Good, now get yourself ready and head for the docking port. I know you can do it." He gave her a pat on the back when she left the bridge which she didn't seemed to like but she knew it was meant well. "Preed, hookup with that ship. C'mon double time! Lives are at stake here!" "Scans show that the port airlock's damaged in the attack. I'll try the starboard one."

While Preed maneuvered the ship into position and docked with the war-torn vessel another member of the crew prepared herself for a rescue attempt. Grabbing a scanner from the equipment locker and attaching a small flashlight to her right wrist she double-checked everything on her way to the airlock, the thought that each second of delay could mean the loss of another crewmember in the back of her mind. When the airlock opened Stith stepped aboard the damaged ship without fear, using her light to drive back the darkness. And it sure was dark, the only light coming from flickering emergency lighting and sparks showering down on the deck from broken power conduits. Steam or another gaseous compound she hoped wasn't toxic blew from a broken conduit on her left. Using her scanner to determine the quickest way to the command deck she began to walk, on guard for anything. Explosions, bulkheads collapsing under stress were all possible things that could kill her. She was on constant alert, not exactly sure what to expect, being careful where to place her clawed feet when she moved through the wide corridor, designed in such a way that the members of her species had enough space to move around. Life signs were practically non-existent and the few ones that still blinked on her scanner were very faint and unreachable. Several sections had decompressed and collapsed bulkheads blocked several corridors completely. Within the time she had it was impossible to clear a way through the mess, even for her. Watching the display of her scanner she watched another life sign disappearing. She couldn't resist letting out a growl, mourning for the warrior that died because there was nothing she could do. Reaching a T-junction she could hear the sound and saw the flickering of broken power conduits. Bursts of sparks showered down on the deck from the ripped ends, blocking the right way completely. Anyone who tried to get through that would be fried instantly.

Continuing the only way she could she reached another T-junction, picking the direction that would lead her to the bridge. The way up was half blocked by fallen debris and collapsed bulkheads but a tiny bit of space was left between the left bulkhead and the pile of debris, just large enough to allow her to get through. Doing so, she nearly tripped over something large and fleshy and pointed her flashlight at it. The large body of a male Mantrin was spread out on the ground in front of her. A support beam had fallen on his head and killed him in the process. His large left leg was crushed underneath it, shattering the thick bones, the splinters ripping through the flesh, forming pools of blood on the deck. It was a horrifying sight. Walking past the unfortunate Mantrin she noticed he was one of the Sogowan race, the same race as she was. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes by the sight of a member of her own race in such a dishonored way but she gathered her courage, turned her grief into anger like she always did and continued on her way, knowing he already made 'the crossing'. The bridge was her primary target. _Maybe the Captain is still alive._ She found two more dead crewmen on the way, an anger like a blazing fire burning in her chest. She wanted to kill the ones responsible, torture them so they could feel the same pain and die the same horrible death. _The Captain might still be alive. He just has to be. _With that thought in mind she urged herself to move faster, aware that the clock was ticking. _He can tell me exactly what happened._ With power to the turbolifts down she had to find another slower way up to the bridge. Fortunately she could take a more direct approach as this was the center of all command and control functions. She was almost there when someone or something grabbed her ankle. Withholding herself from shouting, she looked down, her hearts still racing and found a severely wounded Mantrin. She had stopped paying constant attention to her scanner and that's why he startled her. Blood trickled down his face from numerous cuts and deeper wounds. His chest was pierced by pieces of metal debris when the bulkhead collapsed, crushing his left arm and leg.

"Help me," he brought out very softly, blood flowing from his beak.

He looked in her eyes, glad to see a friendly face, begging her to do something against the terrible pain. Bowing through her double knees Stith grabbed his hand.

"I will. I'm here. I- I'll do what I can-" But she knew his wounds were fatal. Even if she could remove the bulkhead he wouldn't be able to move. Her words sounded hollow, even in her own ears. But they managed to do some good. He smiled faintly, glad he didn't have to make 'the crossing' alone but in the company of someone kind. She could feel his hand getting heavier. Watching the life drain from his eyes, his head fell to the side. He was dead. Stith couldn't believe her eyes. A tear rolled over her cheek, until she noticed it and quickly wiped it away with her sleeve, angry at herself for crying. "I couldn't save him," she said to herself. _His wounds were too great._

She closed his eyes and whispered a short prayer, then continued on her way, her teeth clenched in anger. But as her Captain said, her anger would lead her nowhere. But her current heading did lead her to the bridge. The doors were half closed but levering her fingers between the small slit she pushed them open with all her strength, letting out a powerful roar in the process. The place was dark and in ruins. Several stations and consoles were completely destroyed and those which still worked flickered now and then. Some of them had exploded right in the faces of the officers using them, their dead bodies sprawled gracelessly on the deck. An eerie aura hung over the place, like the thin layer of smoke in the air that made her cough when she took her first breath. Collapsed support beams obstructed the command area and wires dangled from the ceiling so she had to be careful not to touch any of those. The familiar crackling of sparks sounded occasionally, the rain of particles temporarily illuminating the deck with a faint glow.

"Anybody alive out here?" Stith yelled, hoping for a response.

"Over here," a soft barely audible voice replied.

Using her flashlight to see where she went, she climbed over a piece of ceiling toward the center of the bridge and found a large Goureg Mantrin on his back in front of the Captain's chair. Judging by the strange position he held his right leg in, it was probably broken, rendering him unable to walk on his own. His slate gray skin had slight variations in color on different places of his body and his belly, chest and underside of his beak were of a lighter shade. But it were his bright blue eyes that instantly caught her gaze. So innocent and in an unusual way, sweet. _He's actually quite handsome._ She didn't know why she started thinking in that direction but she shook it out of her mind when the Mantrin growled softly and grabbed his leg when he tried to move. _Okay Stith, you're here to save this guy, not looking for a mate._ He wore the uniform of the Imperial Guard, a red long-sleeved shirt with a collar and matching red pants reaching down below his lower set of knees. The pips on his collar indicated he was the Captain of the ship. He also wore two distinctions on his chest indicating he was respected by his crew and his superiors. His shirt was ripped and stained with blood in some places.

"You're Kero right? I'm here to help. We received your distress call."

There was a hint of panic in her voice when she removed the piece of ceiling from his wounded leg. He nodded and sucked in his breath when his leg was freed and he tried to move. He nodded.

"Kero, from the House of Tiraya. I'm afraid it's too late. The reactor's about to blow. Save yourself."

He had a low but kind voice that immediately managed to spark her pity. He smiled weakly, showing two perfect rows of sharp teeth. His triangular bright-colored eyes, characteristic for Gouregs twinkled for a second.

"No, it's not! Can you walk?"

"I'll try but, my leg." He groaned when he tried to move again but this time managed to get up by using the command chair as support. A growl left his beak when he sat down, panting, lashing his thick muscular tail. "My crew. Are they all?-"

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head, letting it hang with a sad gesture. To lose ship and crew was one of the worst things that could overcome a starship Captain. Suddenly Stith's communicator chimed.

"Stith here."

"Stith, how're you holding up? In ten minutes that reactor's gonna blow, taking you with it if you don't get out of there."

"Sorry Captain, I had to take a detour. It's a mess over here." Feeling precious time slipping away she decided to end their chat and get moving quickly. "I found the Captain. It seems he's the only one left alive. I'm heading back now."

"Okay, but be quick about it. I don't wanna lose you."

"Understood, Stith out." "You're coming with me Captain."

She had that determined look in her eyes but Kero shook his head.

"No, save yourself. You don't have much time. I'll only slow you down. I'm in no condition to walk."

"No, you're coming with me! Grab my hand."

He tried to get up but fell back when he put weight on his leg. This was impossible. A Mantrin without legs was like an ocean without water.

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can!" She was going to get him out of here one way or another. At least her trip wouldn't have been for nothing if she did. "Look at me! We're gonna get out of here. You and me together. Tell me what happened on the way back. You're a respected Mantrin Captain and warrior of the Imperial Guard. Now grab my hand and get up! I'll support you." Putting the scanner in her beak she pulled him up with both hands. "Don't try to stand on your wounded leg, just lean on me," she said with the scanner in her mouth. He tried and slowly they began to walk toward the exit, the large three-toed foot of his wounded leg dragging over the deck plating. "That's right, you're doing fine."

She grabbed the scanner, the route she followed on the way here still indicated.

"Thank you for trying to save me."

"Well, we're not there yet. Tell me what happened."

Stepping into the corridor, they began to walk back to the airlock. He was heavy, as were all Mantrins because of their large profile and heavy muscular build but he needed her support at this moment, leaning heavily on her shoulder. If a human had tried to do this, he wouldn't have come very far. The sound of the heavy steps from his healthy leg were accompanied by panting and regularly interrupted by a groan of pain.

"We were on a survey mission. One of our ships detected a strange phenomenon a few days earlier and we were sent to investigate. It was a distortion of some kind, not far from here. When we arrived it looked like a normal spatial distortion to us but scans revealed some interesting facts. We think it's some kind of gateway or portal to… we don't know."

He let out a deep sigh. Talking obviously cost him a surprising amount of effort.

"That sounds interesting. What happened then?" Stith asked, trying to form a connection between these facts and the attack on the colony earlier.

Maybe the attack on the _Myrana_ was somehow related.

"As you know distortions can be violent sometimes. This one emitted powerful isolytic energy bursts to its surroundings. I told my helm officer to back off a little but it was too late. It passed right through our shields. Primary systems went offline and it took us a while to bring them back up. We were almost done with the repairs until…"

Suddenly an acoustic alarm blared through the corridors. Since she had served in the Imperial Guard before Stith could tell that the particular sound of this alarm could only mean one thing. Flattening her ears to shield them from the noise, she tried to walk faster, which was difficult with Kero on her shoulder.

"We've gotta hurry. I don't think we've got much time left." She wanted to turn left at the next corner but Kero hesitated. "I came from this direction."

"That way is faster."

"But-"

"I know my ship."

"Okay continue. But I'm gonna speed up our pace a little. D'you think you can do that?"

He nodded vaguely, trying to keep up the best he could.

"The repairs were almost done but then they came."

"Who came?"

"The attackers. They came through the distortion and just started shooting at us."

"Did their ships look like machines?"

"No, they looked more organic in nature, like they were grown instead of built. Why? Did they attack your ship as well?"

"No, if you describe 'em like that then they're not the same vessels that attacked us earlier."

At least she could exclude that possibility from her list. The two attacks didn't appear to be connected to each other. They were both isolated incidents or so it seemed but she couldn't be entirely sure.

"You were attacked too?"

"Yes." She began to think of new possibilities. Two different enemies? According to Kero the vessels that attacked his ship were entirely different from the ones they had to deal with earlier. This was more complicated then she thought and she found herself a bit confused. "No reason at all. They just attacked?"

He muttered in acknowledgement.

"No warning, no reason, no mercy. They just started firing pulse cannons. After our shields were gone, people started dying around here. We tried to outrun them by going to warp but they soon caught up with us and used some kind of disruption beam. We lost power to all systems and dropped out of warp. Then they were all over us. This is not a warship. Not that we couldn't or didn't defend ourselves but a warship would've stood a far better chance. They took out our shields, weapons, engines, everything. My crew was dying, desperately trying to defend the ship. But suddenly they stopped and disappeared as fast as they had come. It didn't matter though. The damage was already done."

Stith's communicator chimed again.

"Stith, where are you? You got two minutes!"

"Almost there! Stand by to break off and move to a safe distance!" They turned around the last corner, the airlock a few more meters away from them. Slamming her hand on the panel to open it she dragged the wounded Mantrin aboard and hit the close-button on the other side. "I'm in. Now move! She's gonna blow!"

As soon as they were inside Kero collapsed to the deck, almost dragging her with him, knowing he was out of immediate danger. While the _Valkyrie _blasted away from the Mantrin vessel, the ship's reactor reached critical, blowing it apart. Stith could feel the deck tremble under her feet when the approaching shockwaves hit the outer hull.

"My ship, the _Myrana,_" Kero said weakly. She could only imagine how he felt at the moment. Defeat, the feeling he failed his crew, his duty, anything the uniform he wore stood for. "My crew." His ears drooped down on the deck in sadness and she thought she saw his eyes beginning to water. "A Captain is supposed to die with the ship."

His low voice had quieted to a whisper. Stith responded with fury.

"Don't give me that 'die with the ship' crap! Now get up. Sickbay's your next stop. If a respected officer can be saved, I see no reason why he or she shouldn't be."

"Is he going to be all right?"

It was Korso who came running up to them, studying the poor Mantrin who had collapsed to the deck. He was even larger than Stith and that said something.

"If he gets up and goes with me to sickbay for treatment he will," Stith replied a bit snappish.

"I don't think I can." He groaned when he tried to lift his body off the deck but had to cease his attempts. "My-"

Suddenly his body began to shake violently, his muscles contracting, his respiration becoming shallow and irregular. A layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead and his eyes started to roll.

"He's going into shock!" Now she noticed the blood trail coming from the docking hatch. She also noticed that the wet red patches on his ripped uniform were growing. Sinking on her knees next to him, she ripped open the remains of his uniform, revealing his large chest. Small pieces of metal debris, stuck in his chest, possibly the results of a nearby explosion. His movements had caused the wounds to bleed again, his accelerated heartbeat making things worse. "No, no, no! We're gonna lose him. Help me get him to sickbay! We must stabilize him!"

Korso raised an eyebrow but was prepared to do what he could. But he was only human.

"I'll try but do you seriously think we can carry him? He probably weighs more than three-hundred pounds."

He was in perfect condition but carrying a Mantrin? Their unusual leg configuration didn't really help either. It ended up in dragging him to the med bay as good as they were able to. Arriving there they did what they could to lift Kero's strong muscular body on the examination table, his legs draped over the edges, his feet still touching the deck. Before starting a treatment, Stith ran a quick scan of his body to determine how to proceed. She was no doctor and neither was Korso but she knew what to do nonetheless thanks to technology.

"I need plasma, blood type A-BG and an tissue regenerator, the bone regenerator for his leg and a pair of pincers for pulling out these metal shards. Be quick, he's dying."

While Korso readied the equipment and tied the Mantrin to a plasma pack to refresh his blood supply, Stith gave him a mild sedative and began pulling out the first sharp piece of debris, sealing the wound quickly before he could lose anymore blood. She was aware that she was in no way sterile but the filtered air in the bay was and she didn't have time to do something about it anyway. She had to operate now or her patient would join his ancestors. In the mean time Korso programmed the bone regenerator for Mantrin physiology and shot a glance at the monitors.

"Stith, his heart rates are dangerously low."

"I know, I know! It will stabilize." Right after that, Kero's heart rates dropped to zero and the equipment gave a dull long beep. "Damn! He flatlined! Cardio stimulator, two please!"

Her partner gave her two of the devices, which she placed on Kero's chest above the location of the Mantrin's dual hearts and activated them. The long dull beep was interrupted and changed into a series of beeps again, indicating his hearts were pumping like they were supposed to, though artificially for the moment. After making sure they couldn't lose him once more, Korso carefully aimed the bone regenerator's beam on Kero's wounded leg, using the monitor to determine the best spot.

"Eight hours, then he should be able to walk again. These legs are quite complex."

"Thanks. Now I'm gonna be busy for a few moments and I don't wanna be disturbed. I'll debrief you when he here is outta danger."

She didn't look up from what she was doing and judging by the tone of her voice, Korso figured it would be better to leave. She had to concentrate after all.

"All right, good luck. I'm gonna get some sleep. I suggest you do the same when you're done saving the guy's life. I'll tell the crew to get some rest as well. Debrief me in the morning."

He yawned and left sickbay, leaving Stith to her delicate job. When she was done pulling out anything that didn't belong in a Mantrin's body, she deactivated the cardio-stimulators. Both his hearts were beating at a steady rhythm and his vital signs were stable. Taking a large soft pillow from the closet she gently placed it under his head, his large flappy ears spread out on top. Removed the remains of his uniform shirt and his pants, making sure she saved the rank insignias and his distinctions, she cleaned up the remaining blood. Finally she placed a clean blanket over his resting body and watched him sleep for a moment, her beak curving into a faint smile. If she were still a member of the Imperial Guard she would probably get promotion and a distinction for saving the life of superior officer. There were times that she regretted resigning her commission but she never let those feelings take over.

"You know, I wish you would care of me like that."

She flicked an ear, and snapped her head into the direction of the voice, finding her least favorite person aboard the ship, leaning against the doorpost, his arms crossed, that wolfish grin on his predator-like face.

"Preed, I'm not in the mood for your annoying comments so get the hell outta here!"

The grin on his face grew wider and she knew he was trying to provoke her.

"You would really make a beautiful nurse you know."

"Preed, I'm warning you!"

Pointing with a clawed finger in his direction she did a big step closer to him. If he didn't stop annoying her he would soon be looking for a new set of teeth.

"I'm already going, dear."

He walked back into the bridge whistling a little tune that made her consider throwing something at the back of his head. But instead she merely sighed and let it go. _He'll never change. _And even if he did she would still hate him. Turning her attention to Kero for the last time she watched him again for a moment in his seemingly peaceful sleep. For some reason she couldn't resist touching her hand to his cheek but pulled it back instantly like she burned it. _What am I doing? _Though they'd spoken briefly and not even about themselves she had already decided she liked him.

"Sleep well, you've earned it."

Suddenly her stomach protested. It needed something to digest. _When was the last time I had something to eat?_ She didn't remember but apparently too long ago. _A quick meal and then some sleep._ Turning the dimmed lights down completely she left sickbay, and went on her way to the mess. Arriving in her private quarters after a quick meal, she yawned loudly and let herself fall down on her large soft bed without even taking off her clothes. Staring at the ceiling, trying to summarize today's events she couldn't help but think about the Mantrin in sickbay. Kero was his name. _Kero from the House of Tiraya._ Eventually after closing her eyes, the tiredness got the better of her, allowing her to enter the world were dreams come true.


	7. Chapter 5 Meetings

**Meetings**

* * *

Explosions ripped through the ship, destroying bulkheads, conduits, everything. The deck trembled violently, knocking crewmembers off their feet. There were fires all over the bridge but nobody took the time to put them out.

"They're all over us! Captain what should we do? Orders sir! I need orders!"

"I… I can't."

He could barely hear his own voice. He felt dizzy, disoriented and his vision was blurred but he could still clearly see the fear on the faces of his crew, like they were looking at death itself. Everyone panicked, trying to do their jobs as officers but no one really succeeded under these circumstances.

"Return fire! There're going for our engines!"

"Bridge this is engineering! We can't take much more of this!"

Someone screamed in agony when a console exploded. The officer behind it was dead before his motionless body made contact with the deck. The burns had turned his face into an unrecognizable mess, a horrible sight.

"Weapons are offline!"

"Captain, we have hull breaches on multiple decks!"

Parts of the ceiling caved in, crushing the life out of two others. Their gargling screams echoed over the bridge, a sound that sent the shivers up his spine.

"Captain, help me!"

He tried to get up but fell to the ground in the process, his legs feeling like anything but functional body parts. A scream left his beak when one of the heavy support beams from the ceiling crushed his leg after which a complete darkness shrouded the bridge.

"Nooo!"

Kero woke up from his nightmare in terror, bathing in his own sweat hearing his dual heartbeat pounding in his ears. He immediately sat upright in case he had to defend himself against possible attackers who tried to board. His whole body was sticky and wet and he was slightly panting. Looking down at his large claws he noticed they were balled to fists. Darkness surrounded him but his eyes were quite capable of seeing in the dark. Judging by the equipment around him, this was a sickbay which was of course a logical place for him to be considering the way he got aboard this ship. That he remembered. Someone saved him.

"Easy, easy." The voice was soft, warm and kind and he instantly remembered the person it belonged to, the person who saved his life. A warm clawed hand gently pushed him back on the examination table where he had spent the night recovering from his injuries. A moment later he looked into the copper-colored eyes of Stith, the Sogowan Mantrinesse to whom he thanked his life. She displayed a friendly smile, taking care of him like a nurse. "I got up early to check up on you. Don't need as much sleep as our human friends anyway. Having bad dreams?"

Her kindness, the way she spoke to him, it all gave him a feeling of comfort. He figured there was no reason why he shouldn't trust her. After all she saved his life and although he could clearly tell that this wasn't an Imperial starship he had the feeling he was in good hands.

"I was back aboard the _Myrana_. My crew, they were dying. I tried to help… but I fell. Then the ceiling came down on me and I… I woke up."

"Your leg has healed quite nicely."

Taking a look at the status displays, their light illuminating her face, she nodded approvingly.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, thank medical technology."

She began shutting down devices and storing away all the equipment, while he pushed himself up.

"No, for saving my life."

"You're welcome."

Grabbing the blanket he was lying under he wanted to pull it away but realized he missed something just in time. He looked under the blanket and then up at Stith, an astonished look on his face.

"Am I, naked?"

"I'm sorry about your uniform. It was a lost cause. Blood all over it too." She shrugged. "But, I managed to save your pants and underwear, and your badges." Showing him the insignias indicating his status and honors, she watched his facial expression change from surprise to a faint smile. "I got your pants here. Put them in 'decon' so they're nice and clean."

"Thank you again. Oh, if you don't mind?"

Making a circling movement with his right claw, his finger pointing downwards, she understood the hint.

"Oh, of course."

Tossing him his pants and clean underwear she turned around, her tail whipping from left to right. Kero slowly got up from the table a little hesitant to try his healed leg, expecting to feel pain but it didn't hurt anymore. Applying a bit more pressure on it until he convinced himself that it was safe to stand up and walk around he began putting on his pants which was slightly more difficult for a Mantrin because of their large unusually shaped legs and their tail.

"Done now, you can watch. But what do you suggest I wear over my upper body?"

Stith turned around to face him and twisted her face a bit. He wasn't abnormally large, at least not for a Mantrin of his race but it would prove difficult to find suitable clothing for him to wear.

"Hmm, well we don't have any uniforms of the Imperial Guard for spare and you aren't exactly small." She did have point. His chest was as broad as the fully stretched arm of a human male and he was about a head taller than she was, legs unstretched. "I'll discuss this with the Captain. Still gotta debrief him about my little adventure." She shot a quick glance at her chrono. "He should be up. Time for breakfast. Wanna join us?"

"Sure." His empty stomach had already started a formal and noisy protest. "Your Captain must know about what happened. You said your ship was attacked too. We might be able to supplement each other, see if there's a connection."

She nodded, though she had already excluded that possibility.

"Then the mess is the target."

Leading the way she gave him back his badges which he pocketed safely.

"Stith was your name right?"

"That's me."

She flicked an ear and turned around the corner. Following Stith through the corridor, Kero had to crouch low just like she did. The designers of the ship obviously hadn't accounted for the larger aliens.

When they entered the mess hall Korso was already there, fit for duty, as always and enjoying his usual cup of coffee.

"Morning Cap', wanna hear what happened yesterday?"

"I certainly do."

Putting his one leg over the other, it was as if he braced himself to listen to the story of the century. Stith had shown a bit of motherly concern for the other Mantrin last night and Korso wondered why. Maybe she just wasn't accustomed to having another member of her species aboard or it was something that went deeper. Maybe she found him attractive but Korso decided to put it out of his mind. _What exactly made a Mantrin attractive? Big muscles? A huge leg span?_

"Well you've seen Captain Kero only briefly yesterday. Time for a more formal introduction."

Korso stood up and walked up to the huge Goureg Mantrin, sticking out his hand.

"Joseph Korso, Captain of the _Valkyrie, _welcome aboard."

The big alien took his hand with his claw and shook it, his bright blue eyes twinkling for a second.

"Kero, from the House of Tiraya. I suppose there's no point in calling me Captain anymore. Just call me Kero."

His ears sagged, a bit of sadness layered over the heavy tone of his voice.

"You'll probably get another one. I'm sure you did everything you could."

"I guess."

His attempt to cheer him up didn't have the desired effect but was nonetheless appreciated.

"Captain, do you have something for him to wear for the time being? An old T-shirt or something?" Tapping on the deck with her clawed food she studied the guy standing next to her, wondering if Korso had anything large enough. "He's not exactly a little one see?"

"Could be. I'll take a look after breakfast. Siddown. Something to eat or drink? Our supplies've been replenished so we've got some choice, for now."

"Thanks."

He felt a little bit better when he sat down, taking up most of the space on his side of the table. At least they didn't thought of him as a burden, or they were good at hiding it. It didn't take long for the rest of the crew to show up.

"Morning everyone," Gune squawked happily, immediately turning over to his breakfast.

The alien began eating like a madman. The contents of his plate were most likely some kind of Grepoan delicacy because it didn't look very appealing to the others and none of them could actually make something of it, but Gune didn't know how fast he had to stuff it in his mouth.

"Morning Gune," Korso and Stith replied lightly.

The little alien didn't even notice the new face until he suddenly looked up from his plate at the exact same time Preed entered the mess.

"Ah, I can see the two turtle-doves have settled in."

The sarcasm was layered thick over his voice and he displayed a cheeky grin when he sat down next to Gune. He couldn't keep himself from making a comment. Kero's cheeks and ears turned a crimson red and his bright blue eyes fixed on the suddenly very interesting contents of the glass he was turning around in his hand. Stith nearly choked in her drink and gave Preed a dangerous look.

"What are you implying?"

Slamming her glass on the table surface she bared her teeth and added a growl.

"Well, he appears to be missing some clothes. You didn't do anything tonight, did you?"

"That's it. That's it! You're going down!"

The Akrennian stood up and started running, which was a wise decision since he had a good reason to. It looked like she was finally going to keep her promise.

"Don't pay any attention to Preed as long as you're here. He enjoys making fun of other people," Korso told Kero. The bright color on his cheeks and ears slowly faded away. Wiping a bit of juice from the tip of his muzzle he turned his attention to Korso. "Maybe you can clear things up a bit. After all your ship was attacked too."

Kero nodded, resting his massive arms on the table.

"When we're finished, have your navigator locate a spatial distortion about point two light years from here. We were sent to investigate this thing after one of our warships detected it a few days ago. You might wanna be careful though. It gives of powerful isolytic discharges which scatter in all directions. Screwed up all of our systems. It passed right through our shields. We'd just finished repairs when we were attacked. They came out of the distortion. Ships that looked rather organic in nature, asymmetric in shape, like they weren't built but grown or something. Highly advanced and it was as if they knew where to aim. We tried to outrun them at warp but they easily matched our speed and took out our engines. Some kind of disruption beam. Then they were all over us, taking out our shields, weapons, com, everything. Then all of a sudden they ran like the cowards they are."

Korso hadn't said anything while the Mantrin spoke, realizing how lucky he was to be alive. The ships that attacked the _Valkyrie_ didn't have anything in common with the ships Kero described except their tactics. Hit and run, without finishing what they started and without a clear motive. It was still vague but he figured it was safe to assume that there was no direct connection between the two incidents.

"Something similar happened to us earlier that day, but we were attacked by ships that looked entirely machine-like. We couldn't detect even a single sign of life aboard so we assumed they weren't even operated by a pilot."

He took a sip from his coffee.

"I suggest you take scans of the distortion and send them to anyone you meet to make sure this won't happen to other people."

"Let's get going. I'll find you something to wear and then we'll take a look. Gune, you ready?"

"Yes, Captain, just finished breakfast," Gune replied, cleaning his face from anything that didn't make it to his mouth.

"Good, lets…"

His voice trailed off into silence when something in the door opening caught his attention. It was Stith, triumphantly standing in the opening with an evil smirk on her face, holding Preed in her left clawed hand by the scruff of his neck. Being almost lifted off the deck by the strong Mantrin, the Akrennian had to walk on his toes if he wanted to keep breathing. He gasped for breath while futily trying to pull Stith's claws away but she was much too strong for him.

"Captain, I… please help," he implored, his throat almost squeezed shut.

Korso couldn't suppress a chuckle and even Kero couldn't keep a smirk from appearing on his face.

"You learned your lesson?" Preed nodded as firmly as he could. "Somehow I doubt it." Still he ordered his weapons expert to release him. Dead he was even more useless and Stith seemed to agree with him on that part as she slowly lowered him to the deck. Trying to catch his breath, he rubbed his sore throat and neck, evading the deadly look of the Mantrin while she prepared to leave. "Preed, eat something, then report to the bridge."

"Yes sir, thank you Captain."

He stumbled to the table while all but him left the mess hall and headed for the bridge, Stith making a last 'next time I'll kill you' gesture before leaving.

On their way to the bridge Korso and Kero made a stop by the Captain's quarters, Kero trying to make himself a bit more familiar with the layout of the ship.

"You humans are truly an intriguing species Captain."

Korso frowned at the alien's comment. He had heard this one before.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, for example, just look at your legs, they're so tiny. How do you, you know, perform your mating rituals?"

"You don't know too much about humans don't you?" Korso laughed.

"Actually I grew up in a completely Mantrin society and I've only seen humans on rare occasions. But I understand if this subject might be a bit too sensitive to discuss."

"Not at all," he replied, waving his apology away. He was already beginning to like this guy. No alien had ever asked him a question like that. "You have to know that we don't have any mating rituals."

Kero looked genuinely surprised.

"How do you show a female that you're attracted to her?"

He obviously couldn't believe that someone could mate without a single song, a dance or some other ritual before bonding with the female you were about to share your whole life with. It was complicated to him but after all, as Korso had figured out already, human culture was a mystery to this guy.

"Ah, so that's it. Well in our civilization it's a custom that you first invite a woman to dinner. That's always a good start for a first date. Then if things get serious then you, well, you know what I mean."

"I see," Kero replied, one of his ears slowly lowering.

It made clear to Korso that he still didn't understand entirely.

"Let's drop the subject for now. If you wanna know more, I'd be happy to tell you at a later time." He halted in front of his quarters, turning the wheel to unlock the door. The door creaked when he pushed it open and let Kero in. The large Mantrin had to bow deeply to get through the door opening and found himself standing in a fairly large room for a human. All of the essentials were there including a few extras but the place was a bit of a mess. "Sorry for the mess. Didn't really have time to clean things up. Now where did I keep those old clothes?" He began to search the closets to find something suitable for the Mantrin to wear. Kero looked through the room. There was a desk with a monitor on it, a bed, a few closets for storing clothes and personal belongings and a shower space. It wasn't much different from his quarters aboard the _Myrana_, except for the decorations hanging down from the walls with the seal of the Empire and the Imperial Guard on it. His had been larger though, since Mantrins needed more space because of their unusual legs. "This you could try," Korso said, handing Kero an old shirt of his. "Try it, it was already far too large for me when I bought it aboard that drifter colony so it might fit you with a little push."

Kero pulled the shirt over his head, muzzle first then the rest.

"I guess this is the easy part," the Mantrin grumbled. Pulling the shirt over his massive chest, he noticed it was a little too short for him but the real problem was getting his arms through the openings. After a lot of strange maneuvers he finally got it right. The openings for the arms and the neck where a bit tight for his heavily muscled body but it fit. It looked odd in combination with the red pants but it was better than nothing. "It's a bit tight but it has to suffice," he said with a smirk but with a bit of discomfort in his voice.

"Well let's get to the bridge, take a look at that distortion of yours."

When they arrived on the command deck everyone was at their station waiting for their Captain to return.

"Ready to go on your orders Captain," Stith said, her eyes gliding over to her new friend. "Nice shirt, looks good on you."

"Well thanks," Kero replied, the sarcasm layered over his voice.

"Gune locate a distortion approximately point two light years from here then lay in a course."

"Yes Captain."

"Preed, I want you to make all the scans you can, then we're going directly to New Earth. But first I wanna know what we're dealing with."

"Aye Captain."

"Mr. Kero, maybe you can give Preed a hand once we get there."

"Aye sir," the alien replied, climbing the stairs to the upper deck.

Despite the fact that the interface of the computer system was different, he could at least change the language into his own so that he was able to operate the equipment better and give them a hand. Kero decided for himself that as long as he was aboard their ship, he wouldn't look for excuses and give them a hand when needed. Korso sat down in the Captain's chair on the main steering deck and gave the order to proceed.

"Let's go guys."

The _Valkyrie_ entered warp and while being underway, each crewmember began wondering what they would find once they got there. The idea of the distortion being a portal to another place, another galaxy, perhaps a different dimension was both frightening and intriguing and was a reason to gather all the sensor data they could.

A couple of minutes later the _Valkyrie_ dropped out of warp at a safe distance from the phenomenon. It was still there and exactly as Kero described.

"Distance?"

"Twelve million kilometers, Captain," Gune replied.

"Preed, start scanning."

"Already on it Captain."

The Akrennian turned his attention to his console and started pressing buttons to put the sensors to work with Kero's help. The distortion itself was quite large but it had a smaller active center. Powerful discharges surrounded the inner circle, forming lightning-like patterns as they spread outwards. Flashes in all sorts of colors shot through the outer ring giving the phenomenon a mysterious sort of beauty.

"Would you look at that," Korso said, shielding his eyes from the powerful light. "Deploy filters."

"It's, beautiful," Stith said from behind her console, taking some time to admire the view. After all not everything unknown had to be instantly feared.

"Preed, how is that sensor telemetry coming in?"

"I'm having trouble getting through the interference. We're too far away."

"Gune, a little closer but don't fry us please."

"Getting better now," Preed stated, as Gune moved the ship closer to the target.

"Just what I thought," Kero said, looking at his scanner.

"What is it?" Stith asked.

"We were right, it appears to be some kind of portal."

"But leading to where?" Stith finished his sentence with a mysterious undertone in her voice.

Suddenly the ship was hit by a stray discharge from the distortion. Everything went off and online again. Stith let out a curse word in her own language.

"That one struck our port lower engine!" Checking the damage she growled. "The engines are going offline!"

"How bad is it?" Korso asked.

"The driver coils are out of alignment. They have to be reconfigured before we can create a stable warp field!"

"How long's that gonna take?"

"I have to recalculate the ion-"

"How long?"

"A few minutes at least!"

"Start working on it. Kero, if you can, assist her."

"Aye sir," he replied, leaving his station to help the other member of his race.

While the two Mantrins did what they could to correct the problem, a warning light flashed on Preed's scanner and it began making a beeping sound. Since there were no other ships in range and only the portal in front of them, a proximity alert could only mean one thing.

"Eh, Captain? We might not have a few minutes. My scanners are picking something up. It's coming from the distortion."

"A ship?"

"Possibly. It's big. Very big. More than seventeen-hundred meters in length."

"Stihith, we need those engines," Korso said through clenched teeth.

A warship that size was certainly no match for the _Valkyrie_ and at the moment Korso didn't want to find out if they were just going to ask for a map of the quadrant, or blow them right out of the sky.

"I'm working as fast as I can but we need another minute or two!" Stith growled.

"Vessel is coming through Captain," Preed warned. "We've gotta go now!"

Preparing for battle was pointless. The ship was massive. A huge elliptical saucer-shaped bow connected to an elongated secondary hull. This secondary hull was in turn connected to two large pylons carrying slender blue glowing warp nacelles with red tips on the front. Another set of engines which Preed identified as the sublight propulsion system was placed on both sides on the back of the saucer section. Hundreds of windows spread their light across the hull, which was separated into dozens of decks. Something that was unmistakably the bridge module was placed on top in the center of the saucer section. Discharges struck the ship, scattering the energy across its massive bubble-shaped shielding.

"What kind of ship is that? Kero, have you ever seen that configuration before?"

"I've never seen anything like it."

"Preed, scans! I wanna know what we're up against."

"High density hull armor, primary and secondary energy shielding, I'm detecting large weapons arrays that look like high yield particle weapons but I'm not quite sure. They also appear to be carrying high yield projectile weapons, some kind of torpedo launching systems. This thing's a war machine."

"If they wanna destroy us they can turn as into a cloud of vapor within seconds," Korso said to no one in common, a hint of fear cutting across his face.

The ship moved closer and held position in front of the _Valkyrie_, not showing any signs of hostility.

"Captain, they're hailing us!" Gune yelled.

"It's an audiovisual transmission."

"Put it on my monitor," Korso replied, absent-mindedly moving a hand through his hair.

Whatever he had been thinking the moment his eyes caught that ship, he never had expected this. When contact was established he was astonished. The man on the other bridge, he was definitely human, with dark brown hair and very dark brown, almost black eyes that had a friendly twinkle. He was wearing a black and red uniform that Korso didn't recognize and the insignia on the right side of his chest from his point of view didn't look in the least familiar. The bridge of the ship was extremely large. There were a lot of different stations and they were operated not only by humans but a few alien species as well.

"This is Captain Jason Pierce of the Federation starship _Highlander_. We mean you no harm. We're on a reconnaissance mission and we have important information that needs your interest."

"Joseph Korso, Captain of the _Valkyrie_," he brought out with some effort. "You… You're human?" he asked in disbelief.

"This is an Earth starship, but you'll find many other species aboard. This might be difficult for you to believe but we're not from your Earth. I mean not the same Earth in your universe." _Of course he was not from their Earth_. Earth was gone and if Earth had vessels like this one, it would still exist and the Drej would've been beaten by sending a single ship. Korso was now certain that the portal didn't lead to just another place but perhaps another time, another reality. "If you wanna join us aboard my ship, I'll be happy to explain the situation to you. How about dinner in the Captain's mess at 1800 hours, your time? Your crew of course is free to join us if they like."

"It's still morning in our time frame," Korso replied. "We're very eager to get underway. There've been recent attacks and we've got to warn New Earth about them. Stith how are those engines holding up?"

The Mantrin shook her head.

"It's worse then I though sir. It's gonna take some time before we can get outta here."

Korso sighed derisively. They were not going anywhere right now.

"We have information for you about the attacks."

The expression on Pierce's face had turned serious.

"I'm listening," Korso said carefully.

"I'll explain everything if you wanna come over. A little earlier then, 1700 hours. It's also quite early in our time as well. You don't have to come over right away."

Korso was still considering trusting this guy. He had heard many stories in his first years with the Earth Human Corps. At that time he never knew if he should believe them or not but as with almost every rumor, they were partially based on facts. And he remembered one of those particular stories being about aliens with shape-shifting capabilities. For all he knew, Pierce could be an alien in disguise, making himself look human in order to gain his trust so he could manipulate him and eventually get what he wanted, whatever that might be.

"Preed, anything on long range? Traces of weapons fire, residual particle flux?"

"Non that I can detect Captain."

"Do you all wanna go with me for dinner tonight?"

"We'll stay with the ship Captain," Stith replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the idea of entering a ship full of humans. "We're not leaving."

"That won't be necessary. Your ship's safe in our docking bay," Pierce ensured. "It's suitable for ships up to three-hundred meters in length. Our scans show that your systems have taken damage. Our repair crews will take care of it."

"How can we trust you? For all we know you might be leading us into a trap, destroy our ship once we bite."

"Why putting so much effort in trying to lead you into a trap if we could've destroyed you instantly when your ship was disabled?"

Korso had to admit he had a point. Pierce's ship carried the firepower to do it and with the _Valkyrie_ in a vulnerable state they were a sitting duck. He sighed and tossed his arms in the air.

"I'm out of excuses. We'll meet you on your side. I've got a story of my own to tell."

"Very well then. Our docking bay is open. You're cleared to begin docking procedures at any time," Pierce said in a friendly manor. "I'd be happy to see you and your crew at 1630 at the docking port. We've synchronized our time with your universe. Pierce out."

Korso let out a sigh he didn't know he had been holding.

"Well, that was one hell of a first contact." Staring outside at the _Highlander's_ outer hull he wondered what this was all about. Now he was starting to get eager to take a look aboard. "He might've information for us. He's human and I think he could be trusted. Dock with the _Highlander_ and shut down all but critical systems. Dress yourself up a bit, you're all off duty until 1600 hours. Then we'll see what he has to tell."

The crew acknowledged and with those words he walked down from the upper deck and left the bridge. The rest of his crew and Kero followed and headed for quarters some time later when they were safely docked deep inside the belly of the Federation ship.

"Kero, follow me," Stith said with a quick gesture. She lead him to the only guest quarters and opened the door, showing him his own temporary space. The internals of the massive Federation ship were visible through the viewport, the light of windows lighting the interior of the docking bay. "Go and take a nice hot shower. I have something to tell you. I've picked up an Imperial warship on long range sensors heading in this direction just before we left the bridge. They might be able to pick you up."

"Thanks, but I also wanna know what that human Captain has to say. He could have important information about the recent attacks."

He tried to look serious but the anxiousness was clearly present in his voice, which made Stith pick right through that look.

"You won't be stripped of rank, don't worry. If it's true what you said than I doubt that even one of our warships would've stand a chance."

She tried to reassure him but didn't fully succeed.

"You're probably right," he sighed. "But I still wanna know. The new human homeworld might not be the only one in danger. The future of the Mantrin Empire might be at stake."

"Suit yourself. I'm gonna be in my quarters."

Turned around she walked out without looking back. She didn't want to admit to herself that she rather wanted him to stay. It was easy to get accustomed to having a member of your own species aboard and she didn't want to see him leave. She caught herself thinking that she actually liked the Goureg Mantrin. _Don't give in to those feelings. You're not a member of the Imperial Guard anymore but you're still a warrior. Those feelings can only get you into trouble when things get nasty._


	8. Chapter 6 Passageways

**Passageways**

* * *

At 1630 hours the _Valkyrie _crew stood in front of the docking port, some of them a bit nervous of what was still to come. As promised, the repair crews of the _Highlander_ had already begun working on repairing the damage done to the _Valkyrie_'s exterior but a bit of suspicion was still wandering in the back of Korso's mind.

"Do not blindly trust on the fact that he's a member of your own kind Captain," Stith warned him. "Traitors and exploiters come in various shapes and sizes," she hissed, giving Preed her usual filthy look.

"How would you know?" Preed asked, shrugging. "I'm not a member of your kind."

"Lucky for you that isn't case, otherwise I would've dragged you back to Sogowa in a very small cabin to personally oversee your execution!" she bit back.

Korso had to admit she had a point but he felt touched by her remark because it could have also been directed at him. However, the fact that he nearly betrayed his own kind to the Drej didn't mean that he was completely without feeling. He genuinely lost hope back then and saving his own skin had become the most important rule in the cold hard reality of fifteen years in space. Cale had given him his hope back, just in the nick of time. He had the feeling that this Pierce guy knew more about this phenomenon and if that would help avoid more senseless bloodshed he would gladly take the chance.

"Shall we?" Korso asked, pressing the button to open the hatch.

His crew nodded. Stith and Preed ceased their argument under his warning look. The docking hatch opened with a soft hiss, a rush of cool air blowing them in the face. When they walked through the opening they found themselves standing in a somewhat small airlock aboard the _Highlander_. It was crowded with five people, especially since two of them were Mantrins which needed more room to move around because of their enormous hind legs and tail. Preed sighed.

"Are we supposed to ring a bell or something?"

He could already feel the walls closing in on him. But as the hatch of their own ship closed, the doors toward their destination slit open automatically, revealing a roomy foyer. It was very neat, futuristic and practically the exact opposite of the _Valkyrie_. They were immediately greeted by the Captain of the ship, accompanied by two men in the same uniform but with gold instead of red accents. They were both carrying side arms and appeared ready to jump to their Captain's aid at the first sign of trouble. Pierce however walked up to him, smiling, his eyes having a friendly twinkle.

"Captain, it's a pleasure to finally meet you and your crew in person. Making first contact with new species has always been our primary mission and that hasn't changed until today. You might've noticed that my men carry weapons but it's nothing to worry about, just safety precautions."

Korso shook his hand slowly but firmly, trying to find anything suspicious in the friendly expression on the Captain's face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

"Will you introduce me to the members of your crew?"

"Of course. This is Preed my First Mate; he's an Akrennian."

The sly-looking alien displayed his wolfish grin.

"That's right, pure Akrennian blood, very proud of it."

It was enough reason for Stith to roll with her eyes.

"This little fella here's Gune, my navigator. Brilliant Grepoan scientist, never wrong and always ready to follow orders."

"Of course Captain."

The little alien looked as if he were about to explode with enthusiasm.

"And then we have Stith, my weapons expert and Kero. Though he's not a member of my crew, he's been with us cause his ship's been attacked. They're both Mantrins, a warrior race."

"My crew died trying to defend the ship," Kero said sadly, his ears drooping down.

The friendly expression on Pierce's face changed to sympathy when his eyes found Kero's.

"You have my sincere condolences. I'm sure you did everything you could." He turned his attention back to Korso. "I promise I'll try to answer all of your questions. Just follow me."

As they walked past the two men that accompanied their Captain, one of them looked a bit too long at Stith and Kero so that Stith noticed.

"What're you looking at?" she snarled.

"Stith, don't take it personally," Korso tried to calm her down. "I don't think these people have ever seen a Mantrin before." She growled and followed her Captain, keeping the human who had shot her a glance in her eyesight till the last moment. As they followed Pierce through the ship's wide corridors, they noticed a lot of people performing their duties, not just humans but lots of different species. So many different cultures working together on a single ship without a hitch? It was something that amazed Korso and another important detail was that most of them were humanoid. _And I'm already having trouble keeping two members of my very small crew from ripping each other to pieces._ "You have a beautiful ship Captain."

His crew seemed amazed by the things they saw as well. It was a beautiful sight to see so many different people work together flawlessly aboard the same ship.

"One of the finest in the fleet," Pierce replied proudly. "Carinthia class. She can be used for a variety of different missions but she's primarily built as a deep space explorer, though she's very well capable of defending herself. But since we discovered the rifts we've been using ships like this one as a mobile base of operations in other universes." He suddenly held still in front of a large display showing the _Highlander_'s internals. "The Captain's dining room is on the third deck." He pointed at the upper decks of the ship on the schematic. "We take the turbolift."

"How big is this ship?" Stith asked, staring at the display.

"She's over seventeen-hundred meters long, eighty-two decks high, including the nacelle struts. A whole lot of ship to command, believe me. The turbolifts are just around the corner." They headed for the lifts and stepped inside. Again, it was a bit crowded and this time they really had trouble fitting six people in the small carriage but luckily it was fast. When the doors opened they could already see the room through a pair of automatic transparent sliding doors. Pierce told them that this was not just his private dining space but it was also used for having dinner with ambassadors, diplomats and representatives of other worlds. The room was beautifully decorated, truly worthy of receiving such high-minded guests. Paintings hung on the walls and alien plants stood in the corners, spreading a faint pleasant sweet smell. There was even a large aquarium, home to colorful fish. A large window across the entire back of the room and half the ceiling offered the guests a spectacular look into space. The distortion was visible from this angle, it's light in various colors falling into the room, creating patterns on the wall on the opposite side of the window. "My chef has prepared a very extensive meal for you all, I hope you enjoy it. Take a seat." They all took a seat at the long rectangular table made of a dark exotic wood. The light of the phenomenon outside reflected into its surface. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable, even for Mantrins. "Something to drink first?"

"Please," Korso replied.

When they all had something to drink, a steward came to cover the table with a neutral-colored tablecloth.

"It might take a few minutes for my chef to prepare so feel free to ask anything you wanna know. I must warn you, the situation is complicated and some things might go beyond your wildest dreams."

"I'll try to keep an open mind," Korso replied with a shrug.

"I think that's the best thing you can do for now. The first question you might wanna ask cannot be answered on its own and I'm talking about the question of: What's happening? You have to know the entire story."

Korso leaned back in his seat. Pierce had their undivided attention.

"All right, then I'll ask differently. Outside, the distortion, what is it?"

"I'll try to answer that question as good as possible." He sipped a bit from his drink before he began. "The phenomenon outside is a trans-dimensional distortion, also called an inter-dimensional rift. You're familiar with the theory of parallel universes?"

"Yes, are you telling me that you're from a parallel universe?"

Pierce grinned.

"I told you this is gonna be complicated. Sort of, I'll tell ya later. The theory I spoke of says that there's an infinite amount of independent parallel universes. Each decision you make here creates a parallel universe where you have made that decision in a different way, having a different consequence and so on. We now have evidence that the theory is correct."

None of them knew what to say. It was unbelievable that something that had only been a theory, now had the evidence it needed to be fact.

"It is?" Korso asked in disbelief.

"Yes but there's more. We don't know what's causing it but these trans-dimensional distortions are created at places where two of these universes collide. They create a gateway, a portal connecting these universes with each other. Ships with the right shield modifications can travel to the other side, providing its stable."

"How many of these things are there?"

"Well, there's even more. These 'passageways' are created when two universes collide with each other but in my universe we've detected many more of them. We don't know for certain how many universes are colliding, but we've already contacted other factions of Earth in a few of them."

This sounded like a strange explanation, but it somehow seemed the only likely one. It was very well possible that the hostile vessels encountered at the colony and the other ones that attacked the _Myrana_ weren't even from their universe.

"And you're flying through those things?"

"That's another problem. You see each one of these distortions is the sum of an equation with an almost infinite number of shifting variables. It has to be precisely calculated and you have to pass through at the right moment or your ship will be blown to bits. Without the proper modifications to shields and engines, your ship could be destroyed, not to mention the risk of exposure to vast amounts of Tetryon radiation and other lethal particles. Some are unstable. If it collapses while you're in it you might get trapped inside another universe, in a different place, a different time, even a different dimension or worse, in between. If that happens, you'll never be able to get back."

Korso scoffed.

"Well, I wasn't planning on trying."

"Now we get to the part you all wanna know more about. Not every one of these universes follows the same history; things could've turned out completely different. There are enemies in every universe. The recent attacks you've endured? They're just scouting, testing the military resistance in other universes so they can try to enlarge their ever expanding empires beyond the borders of their own."

"Seems we're in need of some help."

"The situation is more serious then you might think. They might try to take over territories in your universe so they can safely use it as a staging area to mount attacks on others using the rifts. That's why we try to defend these gates, to prevent them from invading other universes."

"Well you did a pretty good job this time," Stith grunted. If they were claiming themselves to be guardians they had to make sure they did the job right. She gestured at Kero. "Ask him."

"Yes, we're very sorry. We detected them too late and had already passed through before our ships could respond. However, this distortion is pretty stable so Starfleet, our space organization, has already given the order to begin gate construction operations ASAP. I expect them to arrive here shortly. Thanks to connections with other Earth factions we now have the technology to completely stabilize the distortions and turn them into real gates so that any ship can pass through. We're securing this one since it's close to our Earth, but there could be more of them leading to your universe. We have to make sure." A few stewards arrived with the first plates with dinner. Pierce had definitely pulled out all the stops for his special guests. "Feel free to try everything. Every spice has been carefully selected to fit almost anybody's taste." It was hard to control oneself. Large plates with lots of different kinds of vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and other more exotic spices filled up the entire table. Even desert was already brought. They didn't know how fast they had to load their plates with food and start eating. "Nice to see you like it," Pierce said, doing the same.

"You have to understand, we usually don't eat this good aboard our ship," Korso said, chewing on his steak, his voice muffled by the food in his mouth.

The taste of real Earth food instead of the usual synthetic stuff. In fifteen years it hadn't been this good. It didn't just look real, it also tasted real this time.

"While we enjoy dinner, I'll explain some more about the situation. As there are many universes we also have many different allies and enemies. We refer to them as factions. Each individual planet, group, alliance or cooperation in a universe is called a faction. Not every universe _has_ a planet Earth and a human race. For example there is a universe where mankind is completely wiped out by its own mechanical creations. Al that's left of Earth is nothing more than a barren rock inhabited by machine life led by a powerful artificial intelligence. It's one of the more dangerous factions in this conflict."

"Captain, that sounds an awful lot like what we dealt with at the colony."

Stith had instantly made the connection between description and experience. It was their best guess so far.

"You may be right Stith. Captain, I think we've met them already. Fortunately for us they didn't finish the job in the end."

"As I said, they're testing the resistance. But I think it's safe to assume that they're up to something. We're gonna try to prevent that at all costs. Call me Jason by the way." He took a sip of water before continuing. "We've also encountered a universe where Earth's descendants have split into three factions. They were at war with each other not so long ago. The conflict lasted for more than a thousand years."

Stith dropped her knife.

"Thousand years?"

You would think that after thousand years of uninterrupted fighting, they would have exterminated each other and destroyed the entire galaxy in the process. Or that at least a faction would have victored or surrendered to the others but apparently they all kept fighting till the bitter end.

"That's a very long time," Preed said dryly.

"I'm not stupid you know," she reacted viciously.

Pierce continued, trying not to pay attention to the argument of his alien guests.

"After a thousand years of all-out conflict and the loss of billions of lives, one of them was actually on the edge of defeat. The solution they had was, drastic, to say the least. It was a desperate act. Their final weapon caused the destruction of entire worlds, forcing the other factions to surrender." He shook his head. His story had made quite an impact on his guests too as they'd stopped eating for a moment. "Now they're finally reunited and that's a good thing. Their universe has been invaded some time ago by an alien race known as the Seraphim. I've never seen anything like it. They've been systematically trying to wipe out every single human. Captain Kero, the ships that attacked you were theirs. They're highly advanced and are mostly asymmetric in shape. Both the Seraphim and the humans are waging war at a scale and in a way you cannot even imagine. They utilize giant mecha suits which have all the blueprints stored aboard to build an entire military base and army of thousands of robotic tanks, bots, ships and aircraft in a couple of hours. The amount of destruction they're capable of causing is unimaginable and they're not the only ones at war. The Federation's been spared so far but intelligence has determined that our enemies are planning something, something big. We could be talking about an armed conflict so big that it involves multiple universes. It would be the biggest war in, well, I could say history, but that might not be the best way to describe it. Common history suits it better. In a war of this magnitude, billions could die in a matter of minutes."

They were now openly staring at him. They were all shocked, it was dripping from their faces. Not just one race or a single planet was in jeopardy, but the entire galaxy and much more was involved.

"What do you suggest we do?" Korso asked.

He hadn't got the faintest idea. Was this guy actually telling him that the whole universe and everything currently attached to it was a ticking time bomb, about to explode?

"Alliances." It was a straight answer, without hesitation. Was it really that simple? Korso somehow doubted it. In fifteen years he had learned that no one would do anything without asking the question of 'what's in it for me' first. "I need to speak to your government, explain the situation. You've got to prepare your defenses, prepare your fleet, create alliances with other species. It's the only way we can create an effective defense, by cooperation. That's what the United Federation of Planets stands for in the first place."

"That might be a bit difficult for us."

Korso sighed. If Pierce just knew about what happened, in what kind of position the human race stood at this moment.

"What do you mean?"

"It's time to tell you my story." He emptied his mouth and took a deep breath. "In this universe, it's the Earth year 3044, January 20th. In the year 3028, sixteen years earlier, Earth was destroyed by an alien race called the Drej. Our new homeworld, New Earth, has just been created five days ago. It's in the Andali system approximately two light years from our current location. We're working to rebuild our civilization."

Pierce scratched the back of his head. He looked anxious and clearly hadn't expected this.

"This is gonna be harder than we anticipated."

"Why?"

Pierce was unintentionally giving him the feeling that their universe was already a lost cause. But he was wrong about that. It wouldn't hurt to try. Humanity was still standing.

"We'll help you to rebuild your civilization and defend this universe. We must not let the enemy take advantage of the situation."

"We appreciate that. Thanks Jason." It was weird though. How were they gonna pull this off? The _Highlander _was one hell of a ship, but still only one. "There's one thing I still don't understand."

"And that is?"

"Why are there so many factions of Earth involved? I mean you've contacted other factions of Earth through these rifts, but, the universe is extremely big. Why are they all leading to Earth?"

"A very good question indeed, but it's simple really. Although Earth doesn't exist in each universe we've encountered, _place_ seems to be the most stable factor in the equation I spoke of. For example a gateway near Earth in our universe will most likely have an exit somewhere near Earth in another, assuming it's there. The distance is usually not further off than a few light years at most, but not always."

"I guess this is a special one then," Korso said with a shrug.

"Because?"

"Because you said this distortion has an exit close to your Earth. However New Earth is created in the Andali system and that's approximately seventy-eight light years from Earth's original position."

"That's an uncommonly large distance but it's possible."

Suddenly Pierce' combadge chimed.

"Pierce here."

"Captain," a female voice said, "I want to inform you that taskforces alpha and beta have arrived."

"Thanks for the warning. They are to proceed as ordered."

When the _Valkyrie_'s crew looked out the large window, several ships had arrived through the distortion. They shared some basic design elements with the _Highlander_ but most of them were a lot smaller.

"Captain, we're also picking up another ship moving at warp on long range sensors. They're on an intercept course and will arrive here in less than two hours."

"Thank you, Pierce out."

"Expecting someone?"

Korso shook his head. It was Stith who answered.

"It's an Imperial warship. They must be searching for the _Myrana_ after they lost contact. They may be able to pickup Kero if we wait."

"No we can't," Kero exclaimed rather suddenly.

He looked and sounded anxious. It was the same anxiousness he displayed earlier that day.

"Kero, why not?"

She didn't understand. _What is it that he's so afraid of?_ She had already talked to him about this but she had the feeling that it was more than just the fear of being stripped of rank. Maybe he was afraid that his honor had been harmed or something. Honor was important in her society and the loss of it could be quite a big issue for some Mantrins, especially the warriors.

"They'll take you back to Sogowa. You can go home."

"Stith, there's something I need to tell you, in private. It's important. I promise I'll tell you everything." He looked at her with a pleading look in his bright blue eyes. A look she couldn't just say no to. "Captain, if you wanna excuse us."

He stood up from his chair, his height increasing drastically when he rose on his legs.

"Of course, the chef's office is just around the corner."

"Thank you sir."

Stith stood up too and followed behind Kero, wondering what this was all about.

"I'm sorry Captains, but his is something between the two of us."

They shot them a few questioning glances but didn't ask. It wasn't important to them anyway.

Leaving the room they turned around the corner. The room Pierce spoke of wasn't very large but more than adequate for a human. They walked in, lights turning on as they did. The light fell on Kero's face and Stith now knew for sure he had been hiding something all the time, a secret he was about to share with her and no one else.

"Okay, spit it out." A hint of anger had slipped into her voice. She was starting to lose her patience with him and although she liked him, she didn't like when the people she associated with kept things from her. Admitted, she had a few things of her own, like everyone, she liked to keep private but this Mantrin was keeping something from her that shouldn't be a secret at all. "Are you having second thoughts about going back to the Empire again? I'll beat them out if necessary."

She balled her fists, growling softly. Kero looked back at her, unimpressed. She figured if she did, he probably wouldn't even fight back. Those bright blue eyes in which she could lose herself pierced right into hers. Then he turned them down. His tail was nervously whipping from one side over to the other until he let his breath escape with a deep sigh.

"You don't understand. This is about my father."

"What has your father got to do with it? He will be happy to see you after you explain to him what happened."

She crossing her arms, tapping with her clawed foot on the deck.

"My father would sooner execute me from bringing shame to the House." He grabbed her shoulders, but pulled his hands back when she looked at them. "My father wanted me to join the Imperial Guard. He wanted me to become tough like other guys my age."

"Well I noticed you're a little shy but I guess there's nothing wrong with that."

She shrugged. Most members of her race including herself could be quite aggressive and never kept their mouth shut if something happened not entirely to their liking. It was just their way of doing things although there were a few examples that were just different, like Kero.

"I was doing so well. Though I'm young I was respected by my crew and now I've failed everyone."

His ears sagged and he was staring at the floor. He seemed so sad about it and for a moment she actually felt sorry for him.

"Nonsense, that's ridiculous."

"Stith, how long ago did you visit Sogowa or Solbrecht or any other Mantrin populated world?"

She flattened an ear.

"The last time was, hmm, well honestly I don't recall."

"So you know nothing about the current state of government?"

Now she had to think real hard. The last Mantrin populated world she visited would be Solbrecht but that was some time ago and she hadn't exactly paid attention to politics. Like she cared anyway. She was busy running a weapons shop.

"No, but what does that have to do with it?"

"A great deal. Stith, I should've known when I told you my House and you didn't seem to care. The House of Tiraya is the absolute top."

Stith looked up, the expression on her face slowly changing from amazement to shock. That would mean he was not just another Imperial Guard Captain but someone far more important.

"You mean?-" she brought out in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm sorry I kept this from you. My father is Emperor Zahn."


	9. Chapter 7 Traveling

**Traveling **

* * *

Stith ferociously slapped Kero on his chest.

"Aaaooh! I'm sorry, okay?"

He held his large well-build arms up in defense, expecting more where that came from. The sore spot on his chest didn't hurt as much as the pain in his hearts however. He didn't want her to be angry with him. He was just starting to like her and he was glad she saved him from a horrible and dishonorable death.

"Why did you keep this from me? You couldn't hide it forever. You're not just Kero but you're a Prince. Prince Kero from the House of Tiraya."

There was an undertone of anger in her voice, which made him feel even guiltier. Stith crossed her arms. She didn't want to be mad at him but the fact that he kept from that he was in fact far more than he appeared made her lose her temper. She hadn't had contact with the homeworld for quite some time and therefore didn't know the Emperor had a son named Kero. Although she was a Mantrin from the Solbrecht colony, she had tried to keep up a little on the important developments on Sogowa but ever since she joined Korso's crew, connections with her own kind had become diluted.

"I guess… I didn't give it much thought," he murmured softly, realizing how without meaning that actually sounded.

"Ridiculous! You were planning from the beginning not to go back. Well forget it. Innocent people might become the victim of your hesitation. Both the Mantrin Empire and the human colonies on Solbrecht have the right to know about this situation as well. Everyone does. From what I understand is that this _Federation_ is going to help the humans rebuild their society and create an effective defense. After this is settled, I'll ask the Captain to take us to Sogowa. Then _I_ will tell your father what I think of him."

The tone of her voice didn't leave room for his opinion and they both knew she had him cornered. With those words, she turned around and prepared to go back to the dinner table but Kero grabbed her shoulder.

"Thank you again for doing this."

His voice had almost quieted to a whisper and he had a grateful look in his eyes. Shaking his hand off her shoulder, she glanced at him with one eye. She didn't expect him to surrender so soon but then again, she was a lot tougher nut to crack then he was.

"So we have deal?"

"We have a deal," Kero replied with a nod.

Following her back to the dining room, he let go of a sigh, feeling a huge load fall off his shoulders. _Now she knows. _He was already glad that she didn't fell on a knee when she discovered. She wasn't really the type for it but people had the tendency of doing just that right after they recognized him as the son of the Emperor and he didn't actually enjoy it. He hoped she wouldn't tell the others as long as they were on this ship.

When they returned to the dining room, everyone else was having desert.

"Settled?" Korso asked, wondering what the two aliens could have been talking about.

"Yes sir."

Stith knew she was a bit curt and evasive but she wasn't planning on telling him about the situation just yet. Respecting Kero's privacy and with the thought of asking him later if he wanted to tell Korso about his royal blood she decided to keep the Prince's secret safe with her.

"I'll have my helmsman set a course for your world at a low cruising speed. We'll be there in the morning," Pierce said. "I need your support. I must find a way to convince your government that they're in grave danger." He stood up to leave, wiping his mouth on his napkin. "Now if you wanna excuse me please. I'll send somebody to escort you back to your ship. Just give 'em a sign if you're ready to leave. You won't have to travel on your own. We'll take you."

"Whatever happens tomorrow, you'll have my support Jason," Korso assured him.

"Thanks Joseph. See you tomorrow."

Pierce left the room leaving the _Valkyrie_ crew behind with mixed feelings.

"What do you think Captain?" Stith asked.

"I know he's telling the truth but I'm not the one who needs convincing. Your people might wanna know about this thing too since they've just lost a ship."

"Captain, I wanna ask for a favor."

"And what would that be?"

He crossed his arms and frowned. Stith never asked for favors as she handled things herself most of the time. However he would be happy to comply with her request if it wasn't too much trouble.

"I wanna ask you to take me and Kero to Sogowa. We've got some important business to do and our people can be of help to yours."

Of course they could be of help, if the human race wanted to wage a war against the rest of the quadrant. Apparently Stith was well accounting for the possibility of a full scale invasion from another universe but the longer Korso thought about that, it didn't seem so unlikely anymore. Preed of course _had_ to think in a whole different direction.

"A honeymoon perhaps?"

The dry tone at which he spoke infuriated her. Growling she shot him a furious glance.

"Still haven't learned from the last time?" she hissed through clenched teeth.

Preed was frightened by his own comment.

"I-It just escaped my mouth. Sorry I couldn't resist."

He tried to sound helpless but secretly enjoyed the moment and she knew it.

"Then I strongly advise you to try harder before I'll show you what I can't resist at the moment," she threatened.

"Stith continue please."

"Sorry Captain. We have important things to do. Mantrin business. It's private."

Korso sighed as he thought it over for a moment. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. Kero could warn his people about what was going on. The Mantrin Empire was large. They could help spread the news further.

"I'll take you but if you don't mind, I'll go to Zechaat in the mean time. The human settlements on Solbrecht also need to know about recent developments, not to mention the rest of the planet. Gune, Preed, you're with me."

"Yes Captain," they replied in unison.

"Let's get back to the ship and get some rest. That's an order."

Signaling the two officers standing outside they went back to the ship which had undergone further repairs in the mean time.

"Our Captain has asked to inform you that the repairs are complete. Your ship is ready to go again, sir."

Korso thanked him and asked him to send Pierce his regards. The two men escorted them back to the airlock, wishing them a pleasant stay aboard the _Highlander_.

"Good to be back," Gune squawked when they arrived back on their own soil.

"You may be right Gune," Preed admitted.

They all headed back to quarters except for Korso who went for his ready room first. They had gained some valuable information and he was first going to summarize everything Jason told him before he would lose any of it and give him unpleasant dreams. Putting his mind at ease first would go a long way in helping him to sleep better that night.

"Captain's personal log, January 20th, 3044. The meeting with the Federation ship's Captain has been most interesting. The information we required is very important because it concerns all of us. Every world, every living being. Unfortunately my suspects are true. New Earth is in danger, and not just New Earth but every other planet in the galaxy. I've heard things that I thought would never be possible nor true. Parallel universes, amazing technologies, it's all very confusing. I've ordered everyone to get some rest, including myself because of the importance of the day ahead. Captain Pierce seems trustworthy and I believe him in everything he told us. Speaking about trust, I honestly don't know how Cale and Akima will react if they see the man again who was planning to betray them to the Drej. I mustn't think about that right now. It'll only work depressing. I'm going to my quarters to get some rest. Today was strangely tiresome. I've gotta admit, I was kinda nervous and I think that might have something to do with it."

Saving the recording Korso was about to do what he promised himself. However the meeting with Pierce still gave him enough stuff to think about for more than an hour. Eventually he even became annoyed with himself and after trying to listen to any sounds, like the soft whirring of life support and the flow of energy through the conduits running through walls, ceiling and under the deck plating he eventually couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.

Stith couldn't sleep either. She kept turning over from one side to the other. It wasn't just the amazing news she heard but something far more awkward. She couldn't hear the familiar humming of the ion engines or the slight vibration of the deck plating. _This doesn't feel right._ It was strange how the sudden disappearance of a familiar sound could disrupt your sleep pattern. _Don't think about it Stith, try to get some sleep._ Then she thought about Kero. Prince Kero, the male Mantrin she actually liked. He had such a sweet personality, not to mention that he was strong, well-muscled, a little cute and then those eyes. Those beautiful bright blue eyes that had the ability to melt her away if she weren't careful.

"Ooohh!"

She growled and turned to her other side again, beating with her tail on the mattress. She couldn't deny her feelings but maybe this was just an impulse. She hadn't thought about getting a mate and making love ever since she came aboard this ship. Okay maybe a little. Even when she forced herself to quit thinking about the Prince, he was still there when she closed her eyes. It took a long time before the tiredness got her and she finally fell asleep.

Next morning they all met in the mess.

"Everybody slept well?"

He was in a good mood and he wasn't the only one. Drinking his usual cup of coffee he was eager to get to New Earth, despite the possible reactions of Cale and Akima if they found out he was still alive. But that nice little planet out there in the Andali system was the new human homeworld. His homeworld and he wondered what it would look like, how it would feel to stand on its surface. A world to call your own.

"Yes Captain," Gune replied, happy as always.

"How about you Preed?"

"Yes, yes, my sleep is probably not as interesting as yours but I feel rested enough."

The Akrennian scratched the back of his head and yawned, showing two rows of sharp glistening teeth. Sleeping was rather boring if your species didn't dream. Normally dreams would help the brain to process the things that happened during the day but an Akrennian brain worked just a little different. The things that happened during the day just didn't express themselves in images during the night. Advantage of that was that Akrennians never suffered from nightmares. It's drawback was that they missed certain pleasures that could only be experienced through dreaming.

"Stith?"

"No!" she growled. Her night had been the exact opposite of her Captain's. Confusing dreams -some of them containing the image of Kero- interrupted by periods of just being awake. It was rather annoying. "I couldn't sleep because of the silence. I know it seems odd but the humming of the engines makes me feel reassured. I'll be glad when we're flying under our own power again. It's like a belly of the beast effect."

"I know what you mean. When I looked out of the window tomorrow I couldn't see the stars, only the internals of Jason's ship. We should get going. He probably wants to speak with us and we're most likely already in the Andali system." His crew and Kero agreed with him and they nodded. A new planet and it was already in jeopardy. That was some reason for concern and the gathered sensor data would go a long way in explaining the situation. "Oh and Kero?"

"Yes sir?"

"As from this moment, you're officially a member of this crew till your resignation. You can give us a hand on the bridge."

The Mantrin was happy because he at least got something to do. He and Stith both knew they couldn't keep their secret forever and eventually had to tell the Captain about Kero's actual life but they decided to do that when necessary. Now was not yet the right moment. One problem at a time.

Entering the bridge they powered up all ship's systems, ran a few quick checks and calibrated the equipment, until Pierce contacted them. The Federation Captain was happy to report that the trip was over and greeted Korso with a smile like always.

"Morning everyone. Well, we're there. Edge of the Andali system. Shall we proceed Captain or am I gonna be shot out of the sky if I enter?"

Korso had to laugh. Unless they had found a way to turn a drifter colony into a warship, that was highly unlikely.

"I doubt it but you might wanna cut us loose first."

"Of course. Opening bay doors."

As the _Highlander_'s bay doors opened the _Valkyrie_ was once again released into the vacuum of space. The ship gently glided out of the Federation vessel's docking bay and activated her own drive systems instead. Power began to flow and the deck plating began to tremble slightly under the crew's feet giving Stith her reassuring feeling back.

"Primary thrusters engaged Captain. Switching to ion drive."

With the _Valkyrie'_s ion engines powered up Preed hit the gas, the blue-colored exhaust streams lighting up behind the nozzles. Gune notified that he had quickly set a course which Preed followed, with the Federation ship on their tail.

"I should inform you that my repair and maintenance crews have improved the efficiency of your weapon systems. Targeting scanners are now fifteen percent more accurate and the total power output of your laser cannons has been improved by eight percent. It can be enhanced even further by tying them directly into your ion matrix but we haven't started seriously modifying systems without your permission." Korso thanked him for his help. The upgrades were welcome. The _Valkyrie_ wasn't exactly a warship but the installed weapon systems were -though a bit outdated- quite powerful. He even got the upgrades for free and what is still free these days? "You're welcome. We're just following you, is that okay?"

"Yes, we're heading for the third planet in the system. It shouldn't be hard to notice. It's the largest and only M-class planet." As the _Valkyrie_ went deeper into the system the _Highlander_ followed. It was truly a massive vessel and very beautiful with its graceful streamlined design without any extensions or sharp edges. Only sensors could reveal that powerful weapons were concealed under its heavily armored exterior. The rays of the Andali sun reflected off the hulls of both ships, giving them a shimmering appearance. After a few minutes of cruising on sublight speed, New Earth finally came within sight. "It's beautiful," Korso brought out, admiring the view of the new world from this distance. "I was too busy escaping to take a good look at it when it was created."

New Earth looked just like the original one from such a large distance. The same large greenish landmasses mixed with the blue of outstretched seas and white dotted cloud formations above the planet surface. The planet had a slightly larger diameter than the original Earth but for the rest it was pretty much identical. It still took twenty-four hours to complete a full rotation but because the planet lacked a moon the tides didn't shift and there were no real seasons because it didn't actually orbit the Andali sun. Temperatures were in the average range with slightly warmer regions around the equator and colder zones toward the poles. Snow however was very rare and only to be found in the colder zones on the tops of the few mountains that reached a sufficient height.

"Still looks a bit small," Preed remarked.

"It's going to get a lot bigger when we come in closer." Korso was unable to tear his eyes from the sight. It was a long time ago since he had seen something similar and called it home. The two ships came in at a steady speed and more details became visible with every passing minute. The contours of continents became sharper, islands became large enough to count and something that wasn't visible from a distance and had only showed up on scanners now turned out to be an orbital station.

"Looks like they already have an artificial satellite in orbit," Kero reported, taking a good look at the readings on the console. "No wait, it's too big."

"Seems like they kept a drifter colony in orbit to accommodate any ships that are passing by."

It was still a bit hard to see but when the distance between ship and planet became smaller Korso could see it was indeed a drifter colony. A few minutes later both the _Valkyrie_ and the _Highlander_ entered an exceptionally high orbit around the planet to ensure that they didn't appear as hostile on any scanners that might be active. The _Valkyrie_ was hailed by the drifter colony.

"This is relay station _New Bangkok_; please state the nature of your presence here."

"Captain Korso of the Earth ship _Valkyrie_. We're on an urgent mission and we believe New Earth is in danger. We must speak to whoever's in charge at the moment. We've brought with us a few people who're eager to speak to the current government."

It remained painfully silent for a moment at the other end of the line. After a few seconds the same voice replied.

"Copy that _Valkyrie_, you're clear to enter standard orbit. We'll relay our findings back to the surface. Please stand by."

"Gune adjust our heading."

"Yes Captain."

"I hope they're not gonna give us any trouble."

They were only lightly armed but they were his own people. He didn't want to force his way down there. Because the _Highlander _also entered standard orbit he concluded they received permission to do so as well. The com. chimed again.

"Pierce here, we've received permission to enter standard orbit. We're standing by for further orders, Pierce out."

In the mean time Korso was beginning to ponder about what he was going to say to Cale and Akima. He figured he would just tell them the same thing he told Stith. How he managed to fix the breaker on the _Titan_. How he escaped using their ship and set course for the nearest settlement. How he woke up on that freighter on route for Texas colony. And how he eventually ran into his old crew and Stith gave him his command back. If they didn't believe him he had at least Stith to partially back him up and confirm part of what he said. About a minute later they were hailed by the station again.

"_New Bangkok_ here, we have someone who wants to speak with you."

Preparing himself for what was about to come, he told them to put it through.

"Korso? Is that you?"

It was the voice of the person he admired so much. The teenager who saved the human race from extinction. The voice of Cale Tucker, son of Sam Tucker, the leading scientist of the _Titan_ project.

"Hi kid, how're you doing?"

"Very good. We're just getting started. We've got a lotta work to do. How did you?-"

"Long story. I'll explain everything. I assume the station informed you of our guests?"

He had already answered Cale's unspoken question.

"Yes they did. Are they really human? How's that possible?"

"You better brace yourself kid. It's kinda hard to explain in a minute. I promise everything will become clear when we meet."

Pierce could tell him the finer details of the whole situation. He doubted he could explain it as well as he did. It was all far too complicated and it was his Starfleet that conducted the research to investigate the reason why the universe suddenly got riddled with holes.

"I'm transmitting the coordinates of a small establishment just outside town to you. Don't expect too much of it, the first buildings standing are made of reconfigured drifter colony segments but fifty million humans are working on the designs of the first real structures from what eventually will be a city." A good portion of pride was layered over his voice. They were really going to pull this off. "Akima is unavailable at the moment but she'll join us at the meeting."

"Thanks Cale. You are taking good care of her aren't you?"

"I expect you to explain everything, and I mean everything," Cale just said. "See ya in two hours. Tucker out."

Korso turned his attention to Preed.

"Preed, contact the _Highlander_. Let 'em know about the meeting and transmit the coordinates."

"Yes Captain." Hailing the Federation ship again, he put the transmission through to Korso's monitor.

"Pierce here."

"Jason, we're clear to proceed. I'm transmitting the coordinates of the place where we'll meet."

"We'll be there. I hope you don't mind me bringing my First Officer since a Starfleet Captain is not allowed to leave the ship on its own during an away mission."

"That's okay. I'm putting the _Valkyrie_ down at the landing coordinates in two hours. Korso out."

The transmission ended, leaving the crew with two hours of waiting time.

Those two hours later they left orbit.

"All right, Gune prepare the ship for atmospheric flight."

At least those two hours had given him some time to prepare for the confrontation. Although he was expecting it ever since they changed their heading to New Earth, he was more anxious about it than when Stith suddenly stood in front of him on that drifter colony. But he knew he had been wrong and he just had to endure it. The sooner they touched down, the sooner it would be over.

"Aye Captain," Gune replied, his hands tapping buttons on the console.

"Preed?"

"Yes Captain?"

"Put us down safely."

"Understood Captain." The _Valkyrie_ broke off from standard orbit and slowly began its descend toward the coordinates. "We're entering the atmosphere. You might wanna hold on to something." The ship began to tremble a bit, the friction between hull and atmosphere creating heat that caused the temperature of the hull to rise drastically for a few moments. Looking out the bubble-shaped window Korso could see red flames licking the hull of his ship. He could feel the heat on his face as the warm glow colored everything red. "Deploying stabilizers."

Pressing a button his pilot increased power to the inertial dampeners and adjusted the angle of the airfoils to generate less resistance. In response the ship stabilized, reducing the amount of stress applied on the hull. Taking the _Valkyrie_ into a steeper descend toward the coordinates they eventually entered the mesosphere, the flames beginning to disappear as the ship slowed down. The darkness of space started to disappear and was slowly replaced by the blue color of the sky of the newly created world. As the _Valkyrie_ descended further the first clouds became visible, the horizon stretching itself out in all directions, with the Andali sun above, its rays scattering on the shimmering hull of the spacecraft. As they dove through one of the few lonely clouds they could witness the planet's full beauty in the afternoon sun. What would be a forest in the future surrounded the human settlement located near a large L-shaped lake connected to a broad river.

"Definitely looks like converted drifter colony ships." What they had done so far was quite impressive, considering the planet had just been rocks and water in the beginning. He could see the river coming from the mountains in distance on the left and flowing out into one of the large seas in the far right. It was a terrific sight, especially with the thought that this was their world in the back of his mind. Making a flyby past the settlement first, Preed put the ship down on the coordinates which turned out to be an open space just outside the city. The extended airfoils retracted to the sides and with the landing gear extended, the thrusters fired, making the ship hit the grass overgrown surface with a soft dim bump. "Preed, extend the ramp. I want everybody to shut down all systems. We might have some time to squeeze in a little R and R."

The crew cheered at his comment.

"Sounds fine with me. Stretching my legs without hitting my head on the ceiling."

Stith seemed happy, her ears shooting up. Kero smiled as well.

"Very nice," he mumbled, shutting down his portion of the systems.

He was one of the first Mantrins to take a look at the new human world and it was the perfect opportunity for him to learn a little more about them. When the lights on the bridge dimmed, all the light that entered the ship now came from the outside. The rays of the Andali sun would be more than enough to warm the atmosphere inside to keep it at a comfortable temperature without the help of life support.

"Let's go people. I'm sealing the place off. It's time to get some shore leave so nobody stays."

Leaving the bridge they all headed straight for the loading bay, a newly found world awaiting them.


	10. Chapter 8 Acquaintances

**Acquaintances**

* * *

_**Authors note: Music track 3 (New Earth)**_

When the crew walked down the ramp extended toward the flourishing new world they were greeted by a very pleasant temperature. It was approximately twenty-three degrees centigrade and together with a mild refreshing breeze the weather could be considered near perfect. Stith jumped the last few steps and landed on her big three-toed feet on the ground with a thump, leaving two imprints in the grass. Deeply inhaling the fresh air, her ears flattening, she savored the smell of grass and blossoms in her nostrils and the warmth of the Andali sun on her brown skin. She almost shivered with excitement, walked a few steps away from the ship and let herself fall on her back at full-length on the grass.

"This is great!" she exclaimed, enjoying the solid ground, warm sunlight and real air to breathe.

The others enjoyed the beauty of nature as well, as the metal under their feet was replaced by lush green grass. By the looks of it, New Earth was already competing to become one of the most beautiful and relaxing places in the spiral arm.

"I'm glad you like it Stith but we have some work left to do first."

Retracting the ramp, Korso sealed the ship completely off with a small remote. Stith jumped back on her feet again, her joy a bit tempered by his remark.

"Of course Captain. This kinda reminds me of home. I'm a little excited."

"Same thing here. After this is settled you're all free to do as you please."

He too felt the urge of having a little rest and relaxation. The planet was beautiful and he could barely remember the last time he had unrecycled air in his lungs. And after all this was home now.

"Hey! Over here!" The voice came from the right where the buildings of the drifter colony city disturbed the view. It was not a pretty sight but the rusted hulls of bunched together spaceship hulls were currently the only thing they could use as shelters. At least they stood on the surface of a planet where they didn't have to worry about the danger of explosive decompression which was always present on drifter colonies. Cale and Akima were still wearing the same clothes they wore on the _Valkyrie_. Everything was still scarce and Korso wondered what Captain Pierce meant when he talked about helping them to rebuild their civilization. As things looked now, the people of New Earth would gladly accept any help offered to them. They walked into each other between the ship and the city, Cale and Akima frowning at the fact that their Captain -they thought died a heroic death- was alive and kicking. "Korso, after everything that's happened it's still good to see you but as I said I expect you to explain everything."

Cale gave Korso his hand which the older man took. The young man obviously still had the feeling he was talking to a dead guy.

"Hi kid, as far as I can tell your father did a pretty good job."

Cale laughed.

"You haven't seen half of it. Vegetation is still growing at an accelerated rate but according to the people who know how this stuff works it will normalize eventually. We've started to release the animals too. Advanced forms of something they call DNA cloning makes it possible to build up populations of animals very rapidly but they're still scarce, just like pretty much everything else. It's gonna take some time before it will really look like our Earth."

"Akima, my former pilot and a damn good one."

Korso greeted her with a smirk. Akima smiled wryly, pulling a black and purple lock of hair from her face with a finger. She hid her contempt well but a tiny bit slipped through in her voice, as Korso didn't fail to notice. He couldn't blame her though.

"Joseph, we meet again."

"Ah it's Cale and Akima," Preed said with his soft oily voice.

Though Akima had tried to hide her contempt, Cale didn't bother. The Akrennian had been nothing but trouble and he didn't like the guy from the start.

"Preed, you survived after all."

"That's my fault, sorry," Stith said, shaking her head. "I just couldn't let him die. It's a shame."

"Oh Stith," Akima said, saving her warm smile for her friend. She hadn't expected to see her again in such a short amount of time. "It's good to see you haven't flown to the other end of the galaxy. I thought I would never see you again."

Stith's laugh sounded a little like a bark.

"You're my friend and you'll always be. I would never leave a friend without telling. Remember that."

Of course Akima and Cale had noticed the other Mantrin standing next to her. Wondering what her friend had gotten herself into now, Akima studied him for a moment. He was even bigger than her but looked like a friendly guy. He was just standing there, a bit secluded from the rest of the group, his beak curved into a faint smile. She couldn't ignore her curiosity and had to ask.

"Wow, who's your friend?"

"Eh, well ask him," Stith replied, gesturing at the male Mantrin.

"Cale, Akima!"

Gune couldn't control himself anymore. He began to dance on his feet wildly, excited at seeing old friends. Cale tried to calm him down a bit as the alien almost hugged him, but barely succeeded.

"It's very good to see you're doing well Gune. How's life?"

"I'm currently working on a new secret project," he whispered mysteriously. "Nobody must know. Oh no, certainly not."

The alien scientist always had something to be very secretive about and Cale wondered what it could be this time. He could only hope it wouldn't explode just like one of the last few times. In the mean time Akima had turned her attention to the new face.

"I'm Akima."

She stuck out her hand and had to look up to look him in the eyes. The huge alien's smile became wider.

"I'm Kero, Captain of the starship _Myrana_."

She was slightly overwhelmed when he carefully took her hand with his large claw. His warm hand felt soft and he seemed very gentle.

"And?" Stith asked further.

He released her hand.

"Stith saved my life."

"And?"

She encouraged him by making a circle movement with her right hand.

"What?"

He shrugged his massive shoulders, pretending he didn't knew what she was talking about.

"Akima, he's not just some guy. None of you knew but Kero here told me he has royal blood. He's the son of the Mantrin Emperor."

Stith displayed a toothy grin when everyone fell silent, amused by the looks on their faces.

"_Oh no,"_ Kero thought.

He could have known that Stith would suddenly tell everyone without warning. It was just her way of doing things. She probably wanted to get back on him for not telling her. And of course this human, Akima, did the exact thing he didn't want her to do.

"I'm honored to meet you, Your Highness."

She sunk on one knee and bowed deeply, to show respect just as they did back home in front of his father. He didn't like it when people starting bowing in front of him and put him on a pedestal, like he was better than them in some way. He just wanted to be treated like a normal guy. And as long as nobody knew about it, they did.

"Please, don't do that. Call me Kero, just Kero."

Helping her to get up he shook his head.

"Sorry, just teasing," Akima replied with a laugh. "What're you wearing?"

The T-shirt he wore in combination with his uniform pants was so wrong for someone with his status. If Stith hadn't said anything no one would've recognized him for the Prince that he was.

"Oh that. Well I'm borrowing it from Captain Korso. I'm grateful he had something for me to wear."

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure we have a good tailor among us. We'll see."

Cale walked up to Korso who stared into Kero's direction in complete disbelief. He still couldn't believe it.

"What?"

"I'm sorry Cap. We were planning to tell ya but this seemed like a good moment. He's a true Prince."

Stith shrugged innocently, as if it was nothing but Korso shook his head in shame.

"And I put him at work on my ship."

"It's okay, it's okay."

There was a slight panic in Kero's voice as he waved with his arms, trying to make everyone stop worshipping him as if he were some sort of God.

"Where are those people you spoke off?" Cale asked the confused Korso.

"They should be here shortly, I believe." He looked around -recovered from the initial shock- if he could spot a man in black and red. "Preed, did you sent them the right coordinates?"

"I'm very confident I did Captain." Just after he said that, two humans materialized next to them. It was Captain Pierce with his female First Officer who wore the same black and red uniform with the Starfleet combadge on her chest. She was an attractive slender young woman with blonde hair bond together on her head and deep green eyes. She was still young just like her Captain and smiled in a friendly way at seeing them. "Better late than never," Preed whispered sarcastically, loud enough for Korso to hear.

"Preed?" he whispered back.

"Yes Captain?"

"Shut up."

"I apologize if we're late. You must be Cale Tucker." Pierce stuck out his hand toward Cale. "Jason Pierce."

Cale shook his hand slowly, blinking a few times. Did he see that right?

"How did you…"

The others looked astonished as well. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere without warning.

"Our transporter technology might seem a bit odd to you but we use it to transport instantly from one place to another without the need of a shuttlecraft. It has limited range but it'll do for planetary and ship-to-ship transport."

"I see. You have important news for us I heard?" Cale asked, with a gesture toward Korso.

"Yes, I want you to meet my First Officer, Commander Chrysta Winter."

"Nice to meet all of you."

She smiled, showing sparkling white teeth.

"Let's go to a place where we can discuss things." Adding deeds to his words, Cale decided to take the lead, walking toward the larger shelter which was slightly separated from the others. The rest followed, Pierce and Winter walking next to Cale. "The place where we're heading to is called _The Lighthouse._ I know the bartender and I trust him so the things we discuss will be kept private."

"It might seem strange but it must not," Pierce replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I've got a few things to tell you that might be hard to believe at first. However it is imperative that the information is spread as fast as possible."

"Okay," Cale replied slowly, not knowing what to expect.

That he was human was a clear fact now but the organization he represented didn't sound in the least familiar. According to _New Bangkok_ he had presented himself as the Captain of a 'Federation' starship but what exactly did he mean by that? He didn't have the faintest idea right now but decided to wait for Jason to explain himself.

A few minutes later they had reached the modest-sized establishment and headed inside. _The Lighthouse_ was made of the bridge section of an old cruiser so it was quite roomy but most importantly, empty. Cale shoved some tables together and everyone picked a chair around them.

"Harry, will you join us with some drinks?"

"Of course Cale," the bartender answered with his heavy voice.

He was a large broad man with a black beard and dark friendly twinkling eyes. Bringing some drinks to the table he took a seat himself.

"Normally we don't drink under duty but this time we can make an exception," Pierce decided, taking a sip from the contents of his glass. He began telling the exact same thing he told Korso. Everyone was quiet, completely going up in what he told. Although the others already knew about the situation they were amazed again by Pierce's story. It was of course a bit overwhelming and if he hadn't miraculously showed up using some kind of teleportation technology Cale and Akima would have had trouble believing him. But why would he make something like this up? "And that's why you must form an alliance with neighboring systems and build up you fleet. We can't let them take advantage of the situation."

"You've lost me," the bartender said. "Sorry guys, that was some story but I've got work to do." He stood up and left the bar via the backdoor.

Cale was astonished but not directly convinced of what this man told him.

"Is it true?"

"I've seen it for myself," his former Captain replied dead serious.

"So you really are from a different universe?"

"That's correct."

Chrysta handed Cale a PADD with sensor data about the phenomenon they encountered. Akima looked at it over Cale's shoulder, trying to find some inconsistency that would write Pierce's story off. But the longer she thought about it the more she realized how ridiculous that was. But she still had a few questions to ask.

"This is some evidence but it doesn't explain everything. You claim that you're going to help us because we're in danger and we have to defend ourselves. Where's your evidence of that?"

"I believe I can help with that," Kero answered her question. "I've seen it myself. They attacked my ship without warning and murdered my crew. I would've been among them if Stith wasn't there to save my life."

He put his large clawed hand on her shoulder, smiling. She answered his smile with one of her own.

"You're welcome."

Cale looked at Akima, figuring it was time for action.

"I think it's time to assemble the council. After all, we're members and I think this issue is important enough."

"You're members of the government?" Korso asked.

"Well, if you could call it that. We're part of a council."

"Cale, we need more evidence if we are to divert all the recourses we have to rebuilding our fleet and preparing defenses."

Akima never had expected something like this. It came as a shock to her that after the disappearance of the Drej threat, something else showed up to take its place.

"I understand your skepticism but the resources are not the real issue. The real problem is the amount of time we have."

Pierce seemed to have a plan but they weren't there yet. First a couple of things had to be done.

"Still, the council must be convinced before we can start making any plans," Akima decided.

Suddenly Pierce's communicator chimed. As he listened everyone listened with him.

"Go ahead?"

A male voice replied.

"Captain, long range sensors have detected potentially hostile vessels entering the system; they're on an intercept course."

"Stand by. Prepare to transport us back to the ship." Pierce made eye contact with Cale and Akima, showing them he was serious. "This is your chance. Would you like to see for yourselves?"

"If you can convince us, we'll assemble the council tomorrow," Cale replied, looking at Akima who agreed with him.

"All right then."

Pierce and Chrysta stood up, the rest following after emptying their glasses. Counting the people in the room he contacted his ship.

"Pierce to _Highlander_. Eight to beam up."

"Eight sir?"

"No time to explain. Beam us to the nearest transporter room. No wait, belay that. Beam us directly to the bridge."

"Aye, Captain."

The _Highlander'_s transporter systems locked on to the group, their new location set to the bridge of the ship. As their matter was compressed into a data stream, Pierce, Winter and the _Valkyrie_ crew were instantly transported from the bar to the command center of the Federation vessel. For a very short moment, those who went through it for the first time could swear they were in two places simultaneously, an intriguing but also slightly frightening experience. When they had just left Harry came back, unaware that they had transported a couple of hundred kilometers up into space within a few seconds. The empty glasses on the table were the only evidence that they had been here just a moment ago.

"Cale, I just… oh."

The group of eight people rematerialized in the middle of the central command center of the mighty Federation vessel. The moment they arrived they were surrounded by status displays and stations occupied by several members of Pierce's crew who shot a stealthy glance at the odd collection of humans and aliens that just appeared on the bridge. Some members of the _Highlander_'s crew were human, some of them alien. A large holographic projection showing the ship's internals in great detail was standing in between the Captain's and First Officer's chairs and the master systems display in the back. A large view screen with two crewmembers behind consoles in front of it was placed in the front section of the bridge. Other crew stations were placed along the sides and next to the master systems display. Two doors in the aft corners offered access to the turbolift and Captain's ready room.

"Report," Pierce ordered, walking toward the station occupied by the officer who had contacted him on the surface.

"The unknown vessels are approaching fast sir. They'll be within visual range in approximately two minutes."

He was a humanoid alien with characteristic horizontal creases across his nose and an elaborate earring in his right ear. Apart from these minor racial features, he looked very much like a human.

"What just happened?"

Stith was a little shaky; feeling like her legs had suddenly become too thin to carry her weight.

"Your molecules have been disassembled and compressed into a data stream. Then you've been put back together here. It's completely safe though."

Pierce explained it like it was as simple as riding a bike, but Stith was less then convinced. The Mantrin was shocked.

"I think I'll pass next time."

"Afraid?" Preed asked with an oily undertone in his voice.

"I'm not particularly fond of the idea of my molecules been taken apart like some jigsaw puzzle!" she bit back.

"Hail the station," Pierce ordered.

He and his first officer took place in their designated seats. The _Valkyrie_'s crew stood behind the railing behind the Captain's chair observing his actions.

"Yes sir," his ops. officer replied.

They received a video transmission from the station's Commander.

"What kind of weapons do you have?"

"Weapons? We're only a relay station converted from an old drifter colony. We don't carry large guns. Our lasers are effective against asteroids but nothing more. Why?"

"Because we're gonna need them." Although this station would have trouble to hit so much as a rock, it still wasn't entirely useless. "Be sure to make visual recordings of what's going to happen. We have incoming hostiles."

"You have to defend us. We're no match for a strike force."

"We'll keep 'em off your back, but you have to do exactly as I say."

"Aye aye," the Commander replied with a sigh.

"Sir they're entering visual range."

"Resume transmission with the station, audio only. On screen."

The main viewer zoomed in on three large ships, two of the same type, one different from the others. A man that was obviously the tactical officer had already identified the enemy vessels.

"Two cruisers and a carrier sir. Their weapons are active. I don't think they're here to make first contact." The carrier had a more or less rectangular shape with hangar bays on its sides. The two cruisers appeared identical, had an unusually shaped front where most of the armaments were located and they were indeed heavily armed. They were obviously not here to make people's lives more comfortable. Large and powerful propulsion systems covered the aft of both the carrier and the cruisers, pushing them into the direction of the planet at a steady speed. "They're carrying shields and energy discharge weapons. Could be ion cannons."

"Machines," Pierce said to no one in common. He was familiar with this foe and tried to recall what kind of attack strategy was commonly used by them. "Commander lay down suppressive fire. We have a carrier coming in possibly carrying small attack craft. They must not be allowed to reach the planet."

"Yes Captain."

The station's Commander signaled his people to carry out the order, deploying whatever laser turrets they had for battle while Pierce devised a strategy to defend the planet.

"Captain, we're being hailed."

"Let's hear it."

"Channel open."

A heavy, frightening and machine-like voice spoke.

"This planet is now annexed by the Machine Dominion. Surrender your vessels and prepare to be annihilated. You inferior organic-based life forms will cease to exist."

"Captain, they're powering up their weapon systems. The carrier is launching smaller craft."

Several dozen of the small ray-shaped ships the _Valkyrie_ crew had battled before exited the carrier's hangar bays and came in fast on an intercept course. Pierce ended the transmission with a quick nod. He directed his attention to everyone on the bridge.

"Red alert! All hands to battle stations!"

_**Authors note: Music track 4 (USS Highlander in Defense – (Crimson Tide – Hans Zimmer)**_

As the lights dimmed, red lights began blinking on and off. A soft acoustic alarm was heard all over the ship, bringing the crew up to full alert and urging them to take positions for the upcoming battle. The _Highlander_'s shields were raised to full power and weapons were charged to the satisfaction of Stith who wanted to see for herself what this ship was capable of doing.

"Ensign, put us in directly between the station and the attacking ships."

"Aye sir," his helmsman replied.

"Shields are at maximum. Weapon systems online."

The _Highlander_ broke orbit and the colossal ship maneuvered surprisingly fast into position, shielding the station using her own body. An alert warned the tactical officer that the enemy had a weapons lock on them, ready to unleash their destructive barrage.

"Visual recordings are being taken Captain."

"Nice work. Arm phasers and return fire as soon as those fighters are within range."

And they soon would be. The first wave of enemy fighters were on fast approach. As soon as they had a positive lock they opened fire on the Federation ship. However their powerful cutting lasers were absorbed by its shields, unable to deal any significant damage.

"Shields are holding at ninety-six percent."

The ship trembled softly under the laserfire thrown against her shields but further remained untouched by their attack.

"Return fire. Target the nearest ships. Don't let 'em get near."

The _Highlander'_s weapon systems were capable of taking out multiple targets simultaneously. Multiple phaser bursts fired from the wide arcs of her weapons array on the incomings, breaking through shields and cutting through hulls. Most ships were destroyed with a single powerful blast. Pieces of debris were flying in every direction, colliding harmlessly with shields or burning up while entering the atmosphere of nearby New Earth. The cannons of _New Bangkok_ gave suppressive fire to keep the vessels away from them but weren't powerful enough to break through the fighters' protective shields on their own. On the bridge the amazement trickled off Stith's face. The Mantrin had never seen such weapons before. The _Highlander_ equaled and maybe even surpassed an Imperial warship in terms of firepower.

"What power," she brought out, her muzzle falling open from astonishment.

"You would get your tail in a twist just to fire a few shots with those wouldn't you?" Kero asked her with a grin.

"I would do anything."

"Continue firing," Pierce ordered as the next wave hit them. The smaller attack craft were concentrating their fire on a single quadrant of the _Highlander'_s shields now, trying to find a weakness. The Federation ship was powerful but couldn't withstand that kind of punishment on a single shield vector. "Better hold on to something," Pierce warned the _Valkyrie_ crew.

They grabbed the railing in front of them in response. The ship trembled, a burst of sparks showering down on the deck, accompanied by a cloud of smoke.

"Shields are at eighty-two percent. The cruisers are moving to intercept. They're firing." These larger vessels had more powerful weapon systems. High-powered heavy ion cannons fired their bursts. The blasts of energy rained down on the _Highlander_'s shields with devastating effect. Ion cannons were effective at draining shields and could cause significant damage to ship's systems once in direct contact with the hull. But Pierce was not planning to let that happen as it would render them defenseless. "Shields are at sixty-nine percent!" With each hit they lost more strength. A series of conduits blew out. Screens flickered and the ship trembled violently. "First wave is destroyed."

"They're moving in the big guns now," Pierce murmured. "Load torpedoes, full spread and deploy forward pulse phasers. Use them to weaken their shields for a torpedo attack."

The dual forward pulse phaser cannons embedded underneath the saucer section fired their powerful barrage at the shields of the first cruiser. These weapons fired high-powered pockets of energy, effective against shields and even more effective when those were gone.

"Their shields are failing. Torpedo turrets loaded and standing by."

"Let's give 'em what they want. Fire."

The _Highlander'_s torpedo turrets covering a large angle. They were capable of firing multiple photon and quantum torpedoes in a single burst. The orange and blue glowing projectiles rained down on the cruiser's weakened shields and broke through them with ease. As they slammed directly into the hull their detonations destroyed everything. A cascade reaction in the vessel's power systems triggered a reactor breach. It was torn apart by the exploding reactor, debris being sent in all directions. Some of it collided with the shields of the other neighboring cruiser, making them glow with a blue shimmering against the darkness of space.

"Whoa, that was amazing!" Stith exclaimed in a sudden burst of enthusiasm.

For a weapons expert this was just as much fun as for a child getting a new toy. The others didn't say anything at all. The humans were just afraid that this was only the beginning of an invasion.

"We're not there yet."

"Sir, the carrier is launching more fighters."

"Give 'em the same treatment."

"Firing."

The powerful shots crippled the enemy ship's shields and raked across the hull. Multiple hull breaches were the result of the attack. It was a good and effective strategy. The enemy didn't seem to have an effective countermeasure. "They're taking evasive actions."

The carrier turned ninety degrees and fired up her engines, trying to move out of the _Highlander_'s effective firing range.

"Torpedoes, full spread."

"Yes sir." Another hit from the remaining cruiser struck the shields again. The ship trembled violently, a panel exploding near the view screen. "Shields are at fifty-two percent. We can't take much more these!"

"The carrier first!"

The torpedoes slammed into the carrier's side hangers with tremendous force. The explosions flew through the interior, destroying the inside in their path. A massive explosion blew the remains of the battered hull apart.

"They still managed to launch a few more fighters. They're heading for the station."

"Stop them."

"We can't take 'em all at once."

The fighters fired on the station, fully ignoring the Federation ship protecting it. The _Highlander_ tried to get their attention but they succeeded only partially. Their lasers tore through sections of the station causing major damage to the hull. Sections decompressed and crystallizing atmosphere was vented into space.

"This is _New Bangkok_! _Highlander_, we're taking heavy damage here!"

"We're doing our best!" The tactical officer kept the ship's phasers firing to destroy the pesky little foes. It proved to be difficult as they were quite fast and initiated evasive maneuvers. "Hold on!"

Another hit from the remaining cruiser's ion cannons slammed into their shields.

"Shields are at thirty-four percent!"

"How many fighters left?"

"That's the last of the fighters sir but the station has taken some serious damage to their upper levels. They might be forced to evacuate those sections. The cruiser is trying to make a run for it. They're preparing to go to warp. Sir did we hit them?"

"Not yet but I'm planning to. Why?"

"According to sensors the ship is damaged. I'm reading isolytic residue. Looks like they've tried to travel through an unstable distortion."

"Then there're more of them leading into this universe." Pierce looked over his shoulder at Cale and Akima, making sure they had heard his comment. They had both been standing there with their hands squeezing the railing in tension until their knuckles turned white. He could very well understand their fear. If his ship hadn't been there, they would have lost their newly created world. "It must not be allowed to leave. Destroy it."

One final barrage of torpedoes exited the _Highlander'_s launchers on their way to their target. The ship was destroyed in the same way as the others, leaving nothing but floating debris.

"Everything clear?"

"Sensors are not picking up any other ships. Looks like they were on their own."

"Cancel red alert. Get me a damage report."

The lights turned on again as weapons and shields powered down.

"Shields are holding at thirty-six percent. Engineering reports repair crews are dispatched and on their way."

"Could you please tell me what the hell is going on?" Akima asked.

She was standing wobbly on her legs and she was still squeezing the railing in front of her.

"I believe our new homeworld has just been attacked," Korso replied dryly, crossing his arms.

She replied a bit snappishly.

"I can see that. But why?"

"I think this is convincing enough."

Cale gently rubbed her back to calm her down. He didn't have an answer to her question though.

"Cale, I'm still not entirely convinced about the alternate universe part but I can't deny this. The council will debate about the situation tomorrow."

At the same time the planet's founders were discussing tomorrow's plans, Pierce asked the station if they needed any help. It had take considerable damage and those hull breaches were difficult to contain.

"Do you require any assistance?"

"We took a lot of hull damage. If you can spare a few men the work can be done a whole lot faster."

The small command center of the station was filled with yelling people and gas leaking from conduits. It was a complete chaos.

"They'll be there right away." He relayed the order to his crew and turned his attention to his guests. "I think you've seen for yourself what's going on."

Akima sighed, pulling a lock of hair away from her face.

"I see what you mean. But how're we going to bring the council together so quickly and where?" she asked Cale. "Some members could be on the other side of the planet."

"I believe I can be of assistance. You can use the conference room on my ship. It's large enough and you could make use of the audiovisual hardware that's present in the room."

"Thank you Captain. I'll see to it that they get the message. The conference will be held on your ship at 1400 hours tomorrow unless I tell you otherwise. I think we're ready to go down again."

Pierce stood up from his chair and walked to the turbolift doors. Not sure if they all wanted to make the trip by transporter again he still decided to through with it. It was the simplest way after all.

"Follow me."

"We're not going with that transporter thing again are we?" Stith complained.

The idea looked really unappealing to her and she didn't fully trust it. It was the first time they transported a Mantrin with that device. What if something went wrong?

"It's the fastest way and its completely safe Stith."

"But-"

"Come on Stith we're all going," Korso encouraged her.

"It's a common way of transport for these people."

"All right, I'm going," she grumbled, following the others against her will.

When they returned to the surface the sun stood high in the sky. They arrived on the grass field near the _Valkyrie_ at the place where they met.

"Thanks for everything."

Pierce smiled.

"My pleasure, Miss…"

"Kunimoto, but call me Akima."

"And you may call me Jason. There's one more thing. Contact me before the conference. With the technology on our ship we can create any kind of clothing. Maybe you wanna get dressed properly."

Jason looked at the old shirt Kero was still wearing. It really wasn't appropriate for a Prince to wear such a thing.

"I appreciate that very much. Thank you," Kero replied happily.

"You're welcome."

He transported back in the blink of an eye.

"Another important day ahead of us," Korso said like he was getting tired of it. His stomach rumbled. "Time for a good meal. Wanna join us on the ship?"

"Sure, you still haven't told me _anything_," Cale replied.

"I'll tell ya during the meal. It'll take a while."

They all walked toward the _Valkyrie_ together, which hull plating was shimmering in the afternoon sun. That ship that had been their home, for some of them longer than others.


	11. Chapter 9 The Conference

**The Conference**

* * *

Back aboard the _Valkyrie_, Akima and Cale both went to Akima's old room first. Nothing had changed since the last time Akima got here. Her personal belongings were still in the same place where she left them, untouched by anything but time. She had never returned to the ship to collect them and she was glad to find everything back in one piece.

"How could I forget all of this?"

She couldn't believe it. All the little relics from the old Earth Cale had called 'junk' the first time he saw it. It was anything _but_ junk.

"You're really attached to these things, aren't you?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed softly. Grabbing his hand, she turned around and rested her hand on his chest.

"I'm even more attached to something else," she said lovely, touching her hand to his soft cheek.

Cale gently held her in his arms. To him nothing was more important than her, but she had always seemed to have a place for Earth in her heart. It was something he never understood, until he met her.

"And what would that be?"

He already knew the answer but wanted to hear it from her.

"You know what I mean."

She teased him by tickling his belly which he seemed to find pleasant.

"So what do you think?"

"I think we're gonna be really happy together for a long time."

"That's for sure. But I actually meant what happened up there."

She broke loose of him and looked him in his hazel-colored eyes. Some concern showed on his face and it made her want to put his mind at ease as well as her own.

"Cale, they're not going to take our homeworld again. That ship up there has advanced technology which can help us. I think it's best if we wait until tomorrow."

"You really changed your opinion about the situation."

He actually sounded a bit surprised. Okay, she had been a little suspicious but what happened just a moment ago was more than enough to prove Jason right.

"I just don't wanna be worried about our existence again. They're gonna help us."

She had the feeling she was more trying to reassure herself than Cale. It just bugged her a little that there always seemed to be something.

"They will, don't worry."

"I'm going to the bridge; contact the other council members. You don't think Korso would mind that we use his equipment?"

"Of course not."

"Using the council's communication codes it shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Let's go."

Leaving her quarters untouched they closed the door behind them. About halfway to the bridge they ran into Gune who was heading for Korso's quarters. A small machine shaped like a miniature version of a flying saucer was flying ahead of him. The alien scientist was using a small remote to control his new flying device and he was really happy to show it to them.

"Akima, Cale, want to see my new invention? I'm going to show it to the Captain too."

His happiness was dangerous as he wasn't really paying attention to his steering when he talked to them. The machine flew through the corridor at hazardous speeds, barely missing the bulkheads. Cale frowned and couldn't hide a smile.

"Looks funny Gune, but we have to go to the bridge. Why don't you show it to the Captain first?"

Diving aside to avoid a visit to the infirmary as it flew past, he saw that Gune thought about it for a moment.

"Good idea. Captain must know first," he mumbled to himself.

As Gune sped away, Cale detached himself from the bulkhead, to which he had flattened himself to avoid a collision between his head and the flying saucer.

"I really wonder what he came up with this time."

Akima laughed. She seemed genuinely interested and Cale had to admit he was too. It certainly looked interesting but Gune's inventions not always had the tendency to be of help, not to mention safe. She clearly remembered the last time when he had built something in his sleep. It had exploded right into his face upon activation and he was lucky the amount of explosive compound was small. Cale laughed too.

"I hope it doesn't go boom."

In the mean time Stith was in her quarters, cleaning and performing maintenance on her beloved weapons. She took them apart, cleaned every trace of dirt out of the firing mechanism, eliminated the slightest bit of corrosion -if there even was any- and recharged the power packs. She was just busy putting them back together when somebody knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" she yelled.

"It's me, Kero," his muffled voice sounded from behind the door.

She rarely let people into her quarters. The only one who had been here before was Akima, her friend. But for Kero she would make an exception.

"Come in."

The wheel turned and he carefully let himself in, closing the door behind him. Because of her profile, Stith got the largest room aboard the whole ship but with two Mantrins it was barely enough. Kero smiled, when he noticed her being busy with her weapons.

"Do you like weapons?"

_What a question_. She was a Mantrin, born to shoot, an expert with every weapon she got in her hands.

"I can tell you, I didn't crawl out of the egg. I shot myself out of it."

She smirked and put the last of her guns back together. Staring through the scope with her right eye, her smile became wider. _Perfect._

"I take that as a yes."

He sighed, loosely letting his huge shoulders hang.

"Have you ever seen weapons like that? That ship took on three others and came out with barely a scratch on her hull."

She was very impressed with its power. It could definitely match an Imperial warship in her opinion. Kero however seemed bothered by something and weapons were the last thing he wanted to talk about.

"Yes, it's impressive."

"Kero, what's your point?"

After putting her weapons in the locker in the corner of her room, where she kept her precious collection, she turned to him, only to find a worried look on his face. He flicked an ear.

"I am… afraid."

He was looking down at his feet, when he said that with a very soft voice.

"Of what?"

She put her hands on her hips, trying to force the answer out of him with her stare. She had already discovered for herself that this young Prince wasn't an ordinary Mantrin, but being afraid? Most others joked that Mantrins didn't have a word for fear in their vocabulary.

"You have to know that I was never the aggressive type. That's the reason my father wanted me to join the Imperial Guard. I normally just talked myself out of everything, never grabbed a gun when something didn't go the way I wanted." He took a deep breath. "I'm afraid that we might be at war, at some point in the near future."

"And our people will be the first to know about it."

"That's not it."

"What is it this time?"

Rolling with her eyes she heaved a sigh. This was getting annoying.

"I'm afraid of the deaths, the destruction and the millions of innocents who could die. If we have to believe that human, it's just a matter of time."

Stith looked at the Mantrin Prince for a moment. He was genuinely worried but for what reason? There was still time.

"You're all worked up." Crossing her arms, she shook her head. "Kero, if you can't change the way things happen, then let it go. Drop it, okay?"

The slight raise of her voice added strength to her words.

"You're probably right, as always."

He let go of a sigh and smiled faintly. She answered his smile with one of her own.

"Now I have something for you. Our database is extensive but I managed to find the exact measurements of the Imperial Guard uniform. Remember what Jason said about clothing? Tomorrow you can get rid of that thing and wear a uniform."

"That's great Stith. Thanks for your help."

"You're always welcome." She added a warm smile, which made his face brighten up a little too. "I'm going to mess. Get a little snack, wanna join me?"

"Sure."

Leaving her room together, Stith realized she was still trying to figure out her new friend. He was definitely not the ordinary type of guy but she actually sort of liked that in him.

At that same moment Korso was sharing a drink and some thoughts with Preed in his ready room. They had been friends before and despite everything that happened, they had both reluctantly decided to continue their friendship. He would never fully trust the Akrennian ever again so he kept a close eye on him wherever he went.

"So Captain, I believe we have quite a situation on our hands."

Preed's tone was rather casual. The whole thing didn't seem to bother him in the least.

"You could say that. We might end up crossing half the galaxy warning everybody about this."

Stretching his legs on the table in front of him, Korso nipped from his drink. The sun shone through the window, filling the room with its light and warm rays. The longer he enjoyed its warmth, the more he realized that he had really missed the feeling. Earth was nothing more than a dim memory but it were these self-evident things, the little joys in life that came back first.

"Despite what happened on the _Titan_, you should know that you're in fact the closest thing to a friend I ever had," Preed said truthfully.

"Thanks, you've always been a good friend and supporter as well. Somehow I get the feeling that if you hadn't been stabbing behind my back on the _Titan_ New Earth wouldn't even be here in the first place."

"Who knows?"

The Akrennian shrugged, showing him his sharp-toothed grin. They continued their casual chat for a while only to be disturbed by Gune. The Grepoan scientist rushed into the room more excited than they had seen him in days.

"Captain! Preed! It's finished!"

"What's finished?"

Not bothering to hide his distaste, Preed turned toward Gune who stood in the middle of the room holding a device in his hands. The alien narrowed his eyes to slits.

"Be prepared. This is going to get very exciting."

Showing the thing he was holding in his three-fingered hands, Preed watched indifferently.

"A remote."

"No, no, no, no, not _just_ a remote," he whispered. "This remote allows me to control my new invention."

At the push of one of the joysticks a small thing flew into the room with a speed that surprised the both of them. A yell escaped Preed's mouth as it passed right over his head, missing his good ear by only a few millimeters. It made a sharp turn and came to a stop near Gune where it hovered in the air. They could finally take a good look at it now. It resembled a flying saucer hovering on a small anti-grav pad on the underside. It didn't appear to be capable of anything but flying and knocking people against their heads but Gune seemed very proud of it. Korso frowned and chuckled.

"Gune, what've you got this time?"

The alien seemed even more proud now that he had his Captain's interest.

"Gune normally doesn't design weapons. No he doesn't. But when Gune heard that war is coming he started to think of a way that doesn't involve dying people. So, Gune came up with this."

"Guney, please tell us."

He too couldn't resist finding out what it was that nearly cost him his other ear.

"It's a battle drone."

With the press of his thumb on a button a small gun barrel extended from the device. It was pointed at Preed's face who already saw it coming. A small display with a crosshair icon lit up in the middle of Gune's remote between the two joysticks. He pressed the firing button, not paying any attention where the miniature weapon was pointing at. Preed took evasive action just in time. The laser blast bounced off the metal plate integrated into his skull and scorched the bulkhead. He grumbled something indistinct and walked up to Gune with an angry look on his face.

"I believe that thing is far too dangerous to leave in your hands."

Snatching the remote out of Gune's fingers, he stared at the control panel. Now he just had to figure how to turn it off for good.

"But…" Gune moaned, his eyes filling with tears.

"Preed," Korso warned him.

"Captain, I only have but one ear left. I need to be careful not to lose that one too. And that's _not_ going to happen because of him."

The poor alien curled up under his pointing finger. He was but one step away from crying.

"Preed!"

"All right, yes Captain."

He gave in under Korso's harsh look, reluctantly giving back the remote. If that little toad pointed another weapon at him he was going to point a weapon some place dark. But Korso was satisfied.

"Good work Gune. This might come in very handy at some point. It might even prevent unnecessary losses. In a bigger variant, it can function as an automated soldier, a machine." He rubbed his chin, trying to come up with ways to put it to good use. "I shall discuss this tomorrow. We need to develop some war machines of our own. Keep up the good work."

"I will, I will."

Happily following the device out of the room, his every movement was closely followed by the sharp look of Preed. They could hear him cheering long after he had left.

"It's nice to know that everybody is trying to think of a solution."

Looking out the window, Korso figured it was better to _avert_ war, than fight one. But if they had to fight, they had to do it with a minimum number of losses. _I hope it'll never come that far._

Later that day they were all discussing the latest events during dinner. The sky was beginning to darken, accouncing the arrival of the night. Korso had told Cale about what happened after he fixed the circuit breaker on the _Titan_ and found the young man just as astonished as Stith had been, although Cale left out the part of threatening to kill him after he was done. It certainly damaged the relationship between them but in contrast to Preed, it might heal over time.

"Akima, did they get the message?" Korso asked, chewing on his food.

"They'll activate transponders at the given time when they're ready for transport. I've told them to prepare."

"Nice work. Cale, do you still wanna hear what changed my mind?"

The young man who sat next to him was still trying to process everything he told him a moment ago. It all seemed like a miracle, yet he was sitting here with the guy in the story and he was alive and well.

"Yes, you still owe me an explanation."

Crossing his arms over his chest, he figured it was better to except the fact that Korso was still among the living.

"Stith can back me up, in case you don't believe." He got the Mantrin's support in the form of a nod. "It was you Cale. Your determination to save humanity no matter the cost. Never seen something like it before. No wait." Digging in the depths of his brain he recalled the face. The same determination. The same expression. When their ways parted forever. "Sam Tucker, your father. He had the same look on his face right before we left Earth. As I've said, your father was a great man, Cale. He gave you and the rest of humanity a future. A future that might take some time to rebuild but a future indeed."

Cale looked at him, stunned by his sincerity. Some of that greatness had undoubtedly been passed to his son. He was like the spitting image of his father but younger.

"I'm glad you did have a little faith in me Korso."

"Any time kid. You helped me realize there was still hope for humanity. That we weren't completely a lost cause."

"Am I glad you came to your senses in time."

Next morning everything happened as usual but with a few minor changes in schedule. Having transferred the schematics of the Imperial Guard uniform to a data module Stith handed it over to Kero.

"Be sure to follow the exact measurements and your size. You don't wanna walk around with the feeling that your uniform is trying to suffocate you."

"I'll manage." He smiled and activated his wrist-worn communication device to make contact with the Federation ship in orbit. "Kero here."

"This is _Highlander_, go ahead."

"I'm ready to be transported."

"Copy that, energizing."

He playfully flicked an ear and looked at Stith for the last time before his molecules were disassembled and compressed into a data stream. Stith knew she didn't like it, not the idea, not the sensation. How could they be certain? Was she still the same person and not some weird copy that would eventually lose cohesion and disappear? Stith shook her head and decided to put it out of her mind before it drove her crazy. Maybe she wasn't used to such technologies yet.

Arriving in the _Highlander'_s transporter room Kero was impressed by all the sensitive and sophisticated equipment.

"Remarkable technology," was all he could say when he stepped off the transporter platform. Jason had come to receive him, accompanied by two of his officers.

"We'll be happy to share this technology with you. We could teach you how to operate and maintain it. Maybe you'll develop some version of your own. That is of course if you're willing to become our ally. It's the only thing we ask in return."

"Well sure," Kero replied. "My people will appreciate the offer. Humans are our allies and since you're one of them."

"Hmm, you might wanna be careful with that. There's a universe where we are a power hungry, tyrannical race driven by the conquest of other planets and enslaving their inhabitants. It's known as the Terran Empire. But you're obviously not here to discuss that. Lets save it for later. Shall we?"

He gestured at the exit.

"Please."

_Terran Empire? This is getting crazier by the minute._ The Mantrin walked out of the transporter room with his thoughts completely in another direction. Could there be another Mantrin Empire out there? The thought was a little frightening. What if they were like that too? Maybe it was better _not_ to think about it.

At a little before two 'o clock in the afternoon, the _Valkyrie_ crew was ready for the conference. Both Cale and Akima had dressed themselves into something that fit their function as members of the council and the rest of the crew was in the best clothing they could find. They were waiting on the bridge for Jason's signal.

"Why didn't Kero return?" Stith asked.

"Perhaps he thought it was unnecessary," Akima replied. "Maybe he decided to give 'em a hand."

The com. chimed.

"_Highlander _to Korso. You ready Captain?"

"We're ready when you're ready."

"Standby for transport."

_Here we go again._ Stith squeezed her eyes shut in a reflex. She didn't want to think about the fact that she was taken apart into trillions of pieces and sent a couple of hundred kilometers up into space.

To her relief she appeared to have arrived in one piece. They were greeted by two Starfleet officers in dress uniform, making it look like an official meeting between two worlds.

"The Captain is in transporter room one, ready to receive the delegates. Welcome back."

Korso replied with a quick nod.

"Thank you, if you wanna take us to him?"

Transporter room one was just around the corner. Jason was in his dress uniform just like his officers.

"Joseph, we're ready to beam them aboard."

"Where's Kero?" Stith interrupted.

"He's waiting for us in the conference room. Nothing to worry about." He turned to Cale and Akima. "Are they aware of our unusual way of transport?"

"They are," Akima replied confidently.

"I have a lock Captain. Ready to bring 'em onboard."

"Energize Chief."

The transporter activated and a moment later three men and one woman stood on the transporter platform. As expected they were more than just surprised.

"Remarkable. What just happened?" The woman had a very kind voice, was in her late forties and her curly dark brown hair carried traces of gray in it yet her face looked very young for someone her age. She had an intelligent look in her brown eyes and her neat clothes completed her appearance. "Akima, you told us it was urgent."

"Councilor Miller, we have indeed quite a situation on our hands."

The councilor looked at Akima like a teacher at one of her top students.

"Akima, I told you. Call me Amanda. You're a member of the council as much as I am."

"I'm sorry Counci… Amanda. I want you to meet Captain Jason Pierce, commanding officer of the _Highlander_."

Gesturing at man in question, Jason stepped forward.

"Ma'am, welcome aboard."

"Well mister Pierce, I've heard about you. We very much appreciate your help. But I need to look at the supporting evidence before we can start devoting well-needed resources to a military might."

"Of course ma'am."

"I want you all to meet the other members, councilors Richards, Fuller and Taylor."

The men greeted everyone, just as amazed to be aboard this vessel as their female companion. All of them were dressed in clothing that fit their function just like Cale and Akima.

"Mister Pierce, please show us the way."

"This way," Pierce gestured.

The room bared some resemblance to the Captain's dining room, a large wooden table surrounded on all sides by a collection of comfortable chairs. Kero had already taken place in one of them. The red uniform shirt, finished by his rank insignia's and for this occasion his distinctions looked really good on him.

"Hi."

"Looks nice on you," Stith complimented.

He smiled, showing two glistening rows of white. This room was even larger and fully equipped for diplomatic occasions. A huge panoramic window offered a beautiful view of New Earth. A large view screen -currently showing ship's status- covered the wall opposite to this window. Everyone took a seat in one of the comfortable leather chairs surrounding the table, turning their attention to councilor Miller. Amanda remained standing and spoke with a strong and clear voice.

"I declare this conference officially opened. I expect everyone to follow the rules and show respect for the speaker. If someone speaks the rest remains silent. Someone who doesn't agree with these terms?" Nobody protested of course as it was only a sign of respect to the one who carried the word. "Good, I first wanna give the word to Captain Pierce."

She sat down and Pierce stood up in response, clearing his throat before he began.

"Thank you councilor. I shall start from the beginning. You have to know that me and my crew are from a different universe. A parallel universe where history turned out differently. Our universes are -as far as we know- colliding with each other and they seem to be somehow connected by trans-dimensional rifts that appear as spatial distortions in both universes. These connections do not only traverse place but also time. For example, from what I understand, in your universe it's the Earth year 3044. In my universe it's the year 2426." Councilor Richards raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Do you have any evidence to support this?"

"We've anticipated your response. I understand it's hard to believe. Yes we have collected evidence to support this theory. I wanna ask you all to turn your attention to the screen." Everyone in the room did as he said and waited in suspense. "Computer, collect all data related to the trans-dimensional rifts and display." The computer gave a sound to confirm the request and the screen's content changed accordingly. Schematics, readings, sensor data and all very accurate and detailed. "This is all the data on the rift we've used to travel to your universe. It's stable enough and Starfleet is turning it into a fully stabilized gate as we speak. When finished, any ship can use it for travel. You have full access to review all of the data yourselves."

"Can you confirm this Captain Korso?" Amanda asked.

"Yes ma'am. The information is hundred percent accurate. We've witnessed it ourselves."

"It's true then, parallel universes do exist. But I wonder how this is related to the danger _you_ warned us about Akima. Please continue Captain."

"As I said, these rifts connect colliding universes with each other. They act as conduits, each one with exactly one exit in both universes. However we believe it is very well possible that more conduits connect to a single universe. There are dangerous species in every universe. Species that thrive on war and violence, trying to seize control over more territory, killing innocents in the process. Our universe is colliding with several more and we've already encountered several of them. Some species are friendly and wanna cooperate. Others are completely devoid of reason and the only thing they care about is annihilate races 'inferior' in their eyes and expand their own territory. One of them is called the Machine Dominion and they're the ones who've tried to attack your world." Richards raised his hand again. "We have of course evidence of that as well. Computer, play visual recording Dominion, theta, one."

The computer confirmed and transferred the captured images of the battle between the _Highlander_ and the attacking Machine Dominion vessels to the screen. Amanda and the other council members stood up from their chairs in astonishment, shocked that New Earth had been attacked only yesterday without their knowledge. The video was highly detailed and the threat was clear.

"My God," Amanda whispered.

"Computer, proceed to the last ten seconds of the recording." The last scene showed the last vessel being destroyed by a volley of torpedoes from the _Highlander_. "So far we've managed to defeat them but they might come back with a stronger force."

"And there are more hostile races involved in this conflict?" councilor Fuller asked.

"As a matter of fact there are."

"Now we're coming to the most important question," Amanda said when Fuller didn't know what to say. "What exactly do you suggest we do now? We're in no condition to fight a war. You can't expect us to stand up to them. We'll be outnumbered and outgunned."

Pierce briefly looked at all the people of New Earth individually.

"I've made a promise. I intend to keep it. In my universe, Earth is part of the United Federation of Planets, an interstellar alliance spread across eight-thousand light years, incorporating hundreds of worlds and dozens of different species. I would ask you to become our allies. It would be beneficial to both our worlds, sharing technology, watching each other's backs. Thanks to alliances we've made we've acquired technology that can turn your planet into a thriving world within a few months time."

"We're eager to join your Federation, but I'm afraid we can't accept that." The tone of Amanda's voice had changed. "We have nothing to offer you in return."

The help he offered them was more than she had ever hoped for but they could never return it. But Pierce smiled.

"It means a lot to us just to have another ally. The Federation is very big and together we stay strong. With so many dangers waiting for a moment to strike we need all the help we can get."

"All right Captain, it seems you've made a new ally. We're welcoming the Federation and its efforts to help us."

"And we're welcoming New Earth into the Federation. I'll send a message to Starfleet, explain the situation."

Amanda directed her attention to everyone, realizing things were about to change very soon, starting right here.

"There's something I want changed. I know that our new homeworld is still young but '_New_ Earth' reminds us too much of our drifter period. Can't we just call it Earth? Just Earth?"

"We can also call it Bob. I have a taste for that one." Cale looked plain serious about the whole thing, but everyone looked as if he were a complete lunatic. "What? It sounds okay to me."

Akima was the one who responded.

"Cale, Earth will be just fine. That's something we're accustomed to if we talk about our homeworld."

"But-"

"We'll have a word about that later, till then Earth will be fine."

She faked a smile at him which ceased any attempt from his side to continue the debate.

"That's settled then," Amanda closed the subject. "If we have nothing further to discuss I will officially end this conference."

"Just one more thing," Pierce stopped her. "I'm afraid that just allying yourselves with us isn't enough. You must build up an alliance of your own as well. Judging by the fact that I see three different alien species here, I suspect that you've already made friendly first contact with a few of them. My point is, do you have any allies?"

"Well, we've always considered the Mantrins our allies, as well as the Vusstrans, Qu'utians and D'amarans. And we have some good contacts with the Akrennian Military Alliance. We might be able to persuade them to talk about the benefits," Councilor Taylor said.

"I suggest you do. It would be beneficial for both sides."

"I'll personally oversee that it'll be done," Amanda decided.

Stith raised her hand.

"Yes Stith?" Stith turned her attention to her Captain.

"Captain, if I may? Since you're taking Kero and me to Sogowa, we'll explain the situation to the Emperor himself."

"I might be able to convince my father to send a few delegates," Kero added.

"Your father?" Amanda asked, completely taken by surprise. Stith smirked.

"For those of you who don't know yet. This fellow here is a Prince."

"Well, if you'd told me that before, I would've made the proper arrangements."

Pierce looked like he felt ashamed. Kero immediately interrupted him before he or the others could say more.

"Please, don't bow or start calling me by my title or something. It's hard enough for me already."

He was glad Amanda didn't when she spoke to him.

"Okay Kero, you're our best shot, see what you can do."

"Okay but don't expect too much of it. My father can be really stubborn."

"A quality also found in his offspring," Stith finished his sentence in a humorous way.

"Very funny Stith," Kero replied in a sarcastic way so that nobody could suppress a laugh. "You always seem to know the right thing to say."

Gune couldn't restrain himself any longer.

"Captain, you forgot to tell about my new invention!"

"I almost forgot." He suddenly realized he promised to bring the idea of Gune's invention to the conference. "Gune here has something really ingenious to show. Show us Gune."

The little alien put his saucer-shaped drone on the table. Grabbed the remote he activated the drone's hovering systems. The machine came to life and floated a few centimeters above the table.

"Not again," Preed said on an annoyed tone, already fearing for his remaining ear. While Gune demonstrated the working of the device, everyone was impressed.

"A very nice concept indeed," Pierce said. "The use of remote-operated battle drones instead of soldiers in combat can save a lot of lives. We've experimented with drone technology ourselves and it has proven to be very useful. You see, you're already coming up with new ideas yourself. Very impressive."

Gune looked happier than ever before. He turned the machine off to the relief of Preed who let out a sigh.

"If that'll be all, I now officially end this conference. Captain, this will be our first step to a future where every living being can live a life in peace and prosperity without having to worry about war, slavery or other terrible things."

"Only good things can come from alliances like this."

"I certainly hope so."

With these final words, everyone left the room and headed for the transporters. They had work to do.

After the conference everyone went back to the surface. The councilors returned to their original coordinates where they were needed and the _Valkyrie_ crew was brought back to the same spot near the settlement. The afternoon sun stood high in the sky, warming the planet to a very pleasant temperature.

"I guess this is where our ways part," Cale said to Korso.

"Not necessarily. Wanna join us?"

"I'm afraid we don't have time for that," Akima rejected the offer. "Under the current circumstances, we'll be busier than ever."

"Oh well, we'll return here in one week, maybe two. It depends. I promised the crew a little R and R and Solbrecht and Sogowa are beautiful planets."

Akima smiled.

"If I have to believe Jason, you wouldn't recognize Earth if you stay away too long."

"I can find my way." He grinned. When his look wandered off toward Cale, he finally noticed Sam Tucker's ring was no longer around his finger. The _Titan_ was a symbol of humanity and he wondered what happened to the thirty-first century Noah's ark. It couldn't have been disassembled, could it? "One thing. Cale, what happened to the _Titan_ anyway?"

"The _Titan's_ been taken to a secret location by a team of our best engineers and scientists. There are plans for putting it back to work."

"Sounds like a good plan." More species had lost their worlds to the Drej, the Qu'utians being one of them and rebuilding their worlds with the use of Sam Tucker's _Titan_ technology seemed like the right thing to do. This advanced form of terraforming shouldn't remain in the hands of one species only and reviving dead worlds for colonization would sooner be a necessity than a useless undertaking. "Cale, this was your father's work. Put it to good use."

"I'll make sure it does," Cale said determinately.

"Take care."

"See ya in a few days," Akima said. "Oh and goodbye Kero, it was an honor to meet you."

She winked and Kero smiled in response.

"I doubt it'll be a definite farewell. I'm confident we'll meet again."

"Till then!"

As Akima and Cale walked away waving the others waved back and headed for the ship.

Lowering the ramp Korso began giving orders and assigning tasks. Space was becoming increasingly more dangerous and he didn't want to get shot up because of a lack of precautions.

"Stith, run a full systems check. I don't wanna get into any trouble on the way."

"Yes sir."

"Preed, warm up the engines. We'll be taking off soon."

"Aye Captain."

The Akrennian followed Stith to the bridge.

"Gune, plot a course. We're heading for the Sogowa system."

"Going Captain."

The alien headed for navigation as fast as his small legs could carry him.

"And what about me?" Kero asked.

"Your Highness is free to spend his time as he wishes."

"I really wanna make myself useful. Just Kero will be fine by the way."

Korso looked up at the huge Mantrin who frowned back at him. He obviously wasn't planning to let his royal blood get in the way of doing his part.

"If you really want to, give Stith a hand on the bridge. I'll join you in a minute."

He seemed happy because he got something to do. It was better than just sitting in his quarters which were too small for someone his size. As Kero followed the rest, Korso headed for his own quarters.

Sitting down in a comfortable chair he began another log recording, summarizing the events of the past few days since the last one. There had been some interesting developments he had to enter into the log before he forgot all the important details.

"Captain's personal log, January 21th, 3044. After a successful conference aboard the _Highlander_ about what to do next, we're now preparing for a little trip to Sogowa to drop off Kero and Stith. They're going to try to convince the Emperor who happens to be Kero's father to join our coalition. In the mean time, I'll be going to Solbrecht to do the same. Preed and Gune will be joining me on this mission. I don't know what to expect. For all we know, we could be at war tomorrow. I hope it's all just a precaution but recent events say different." A chiming com. interrupted his recording. _Now what?_ "Computer save recording. Go ahead?"

"Eh, Captain? We have an incoming transmission from the _Highlander_. It's Captain Pierce."

"Put him through to my quarters Preed."

"Yes Captain."

Jason's voice sounded enthusiastic.

"I hope you're not planning to stay away for too long. You'll miss everything, like the retrofit of your ship we were planning."

"Retrofit? Nobody said anything about a retrofit."

"Our scans show your ship has a highly adaptable design. We believe our technologies can be modified to your systems. Shields, better hull plating-"

"Let's save it for later okay? We have a mission to complete and I promised my crew a little R and R. We'll be back in two weeks at most."

"I hold you on to that. We didn't even have time to exchange our databases." Pierce laughed. "Good luck Captain, we'll take care of the situation down here."

"Thanks Jason, Korso out."

Wondering what was going to happen to Earth, he stood up and decided to leave the log for what it was. It was time for takeoff.

When he reached the command deck he heard Stith yelling. _Now what?_ He didn't even have to hear Preed's voice a few seconds later to realize he _had_ to be involved.

"It's awful! What must Jason think about the way you smell?" his weapons expert shouted.

Korso quickened his pace. He was going to put an end to their argument as quickly as possible. They were ordered to prepare the ship for departure, not discuss Preed's personal hygiene, or lack thereof.

"Well I'm sorry if my odors irritate madam Mantrin's nose," Preed defended himself.

"Stop nicknaming me! And do something about that breath of yours before we all pass out! Now get the hell outta my way!"

She angrily pushed the Akrennian away from the consoles. When Korso entered the bridge he found Stith and Preed arguing with each other for the second time this day. In the morning there had been a meticulous incident about the way Preed consumed his food and he was getting tired of it.

"Knock it off! What's the problem?"

"Well ask him! Or smell him. I'm sick of it!"

Stith sounded full of disgust, lashing her tail in anger.

"I've never seen you brush your teeth either," Preed tried again.

"What? I'm using a sonic toothbrush to keep my teeth in perfect condition! I bet you don't even know what a toothbrush is in the first place!"

"That's enough!"

"Oh please!"

Tugging her head away she made a sound of disgust.

"Preed, when was the last time you took a shower and brushed your teeth?"

Korso's tone was serious. He had to admit his nose agreed with Stith.

"I eh, I think eh…"

"Preed, do it. And don't come back earlier."

"But…"

"That's an order."

He said it in a way that didn't leave any room for objections.

"Yes Captain," Preed finally obeyed.

He left the bridge muttering something about 'cranky Mantrins'.

"Stith, status?"

"All systems functioning within normal parameters. We're ready to go Captain."

"Kero, how's your piloting?"

"I've flown a couple different ships. I think I can fly her."

He sounded rather modest but Korso felt there was more to him than met the eye.

"Well, since our own pilot is cleaning himself up, let's see how good you are."

The Mantrin gave him a toothy grin.

"You won't regret it."

Taking a seat in the pilot's chair -having a little trouble finding room for his legs- he began preparations for launch. Suddenly Gune entered the bridge, smiling triumphantly.

"Course plotted Captain. The Sogowa system is eighteen light years from our current location but Solbrecht is only fifteen in the same direction."

"Sogowa first Gune. We'll pickup Stith later." Climbing the stairs to the upper deck Korso took his seat into the Captain's chair. _Let's go._ Gune sat down next to the Mantrin Prince while Stith took her place behind the tactical console. The crew looked at its Captain. "All right, take her up."

Kero turned his attention to the controls.

"Firing thrusters." Pressing the designated buttons, the power began to flow and the ship seemed to come alive. It took some getting used to but every ship had the same basic systems and they were placed so that practically each individual could use them. The _Valkyrie_'s powerful landing thrusters fired downwards, pushing the ship from the ground and making it hover freely. With the airfoils extending the landing gear retracted and when the ion engines jumped to life the sleek vessel sped upward into the sky, a stream of heat leaving her exhaust nozzles. From the Captain's seat, Korso took a last view of the new Earth from the large window as the surface of the planet removed itself from sight. _See ya later. _"A fast ship you have Captain," Kero complimented as he played with the controls to get a feeling for her.

"Thanks, a bit different from a starcruiser don't you think?"

"Hmm, it makes a welcome change."

The ship was already reaching the height where the curvature of the planet became visible. The blue of the sky made place for the darkness of space with its shimmering pattern of tiny stars and life support had already kicked in to keep the atmosphere capable of sustaining life.

"Gune has entered course for the Sogowa system into the navigational computer Captain."

"How long will it take to get there?"

"Thanks to my brilliant calculations, I figured out that it will take two days, fifteen hours and sixteen minutes to get there at standard cruising speed."

Korso gave it a thought.

"Hmm, then so be it. Kero, set a course and hit it."

"Yes sir, engaging warp drive."

The _Valkyrie_ turned the tip of its nose into the right direction and jumped to warp, speeding forward at a velocity hundreds of times the speed of light.

"Warp field is stable. Engines running at maximum efficiency," Stith stated.

"We've cleared the system sir."

Letting go off the controls Kero rested his hands on his upper set of knees. There was no other way to go than straight ahead.

"What do we do now?" Stith asked.

"Kero, put the ship on autopilot. Thanks to Gune's navigation we'll reduce speed automatically as soon as we reach the Echelon nebula. The computer will notify us when we get there. We have to reduce speed as it lies directly in our path. We can't go around it and it's too dangerous to fly through at warp. Till then, you have to find something to amuse yourselves with." He stood up and walked toward the back of the upper level. "I'll be in my ready room." With these words he disappeared behind the bulkhead. The rest of the crew left their stations and prepared to leave. "If anyone sees Preed, tell him I want to inspect his, eh, smell."

The heavy door closed with a metallic bang. With the _Valkyrie_ cruising at high warp speed through the vast nothingness of space which seemed more hostile than ever, it wouldn't take long before they reached the nebula, provided nothing happened in the way.


	12. Chapter 10 The Plan

**The Plan**

* * *

A few hours later on Earth, Cale and Akima had returned to their temporary home in the form of modified drifter colony segments. It was a simple accommodation but it made a nice home for the ones who looked past the rested space shuttle hulls. They managed to do a pretty good job at making it more comfortable and a bit more functional for people with their status. After all, their position had its obligations. The current situation was the same for everyone else so that was no excuse. Akima sat on the worn-out sofa in the awkward room that served its purpose as an improvised living room, studying some interesting facts about Jason's Earth. The _Highlander's_ database was extensive and this was only a tiny fraction of it. Holoscrolls were scarce at the moment so Jason had given them his version, called a PADD. He had also given the order to have some communication equipment transferred to the surface to make communiqués between their home and the ship easier.

"Hey Cale, have you read this?"

"Read what?" his muffled voice replied from the other room. "Ah! Stupid device!"

Apparently Akima's question distracted him from whatever he was doing and she couldn't suppress the soft laugh that escaped her.

"Are you hurt?"

Cale walked in, a black brush on his right cheek and his hands covered with a black greasy substance. Something vital in the adjacent kitchen was broken and he had been trying to fix it in the last couple of hours but without much success.

"No I'm fine. I'm trying to fix the kitchen appliances so we could at least have a hot meal tonight. What's the matter? You've been reading on that thing since you got it in your hands. Is it that interesting?"

She smiled.

"As a matter of fact it is. Come, siddown. I think you've earned a break. I don't think the neighbors will mind if we borrow their cooking equipment for one time."

He sat down on the couch next to her and sighed.

"I'm almost done. I misconnected a conduit."

He was visibly agitated but didn't want to be mad at her just for calling him.

"I'm sorry."

Flinging an arm over his shoulder she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"That's okay. Tell me, what's the reason for me getting grease all over my hands?"

"Remember what Jason said about parallel universes? He was kind enough to provide us with a section of their historical database next to the necessary information about the conflict. I've compared their history to ours and guess what? There are many similarities. In fact, for the most part our history is identical, until…" She searched through the digital documents on the PADD to find the piece of information she was looking for, scrolling through the pages with a gentle sweep of her fingertips. "Here it is. Until April 5th, 2063."

"Okay, what happened?"

He didn't remember anything about that particular date from Tek's history lessons. The Vusstran scientist had taught him some things about the planet he once called home but the more he tried to remember his lessons, the more he thought about his foster-father himself. What happened to Tek when he left Tau-14 with Korso? Before he could drift off in his own thoughts entirely, Akima's voice snapped him back to the conversation.

"On that day humanity launched its first warp capable ship. It was called, _The Phoenix_. Sounds familiar doesn't it? It was built by a man named Zefram Cochrane."

"Warp drive? In 2063? So soon?" It took them decades to get Earth's economy back on track and rebuild everything to what it was after the last major war broke out in 2367. It took eight-hundred million deaths for the world's leaders to realize they were driving themselves to extinction. "It gets even better. After a successful warp flight, Earth was visited by the crew of an alien survey ship that passed through Earth's solar system. They were a humanoid race called the Vulcans and they became one of humanity's most valuable allies. Earth underwent a major revolution. War, hunger, disease, all of it vanished within fifty years after humanity realized they were no longer alone in the universe." The amazement now clearly trickled from Cale's face. He was just staring at her, completely amazed by her words. "It took us much longer just to overcome those problems, not even mentioning breaking the light barrier."

"Strange isn't it? Another universe, another Earth where things have turned out so different."

"I'm gonna read that too. _When_ I'm finished."

He stood up and went back to the adjacent room. Akima turned her attention to her PADD, digging deeper into the background of the other Earth. It was their homeworld but just a little different.

Next morning, Jason contacted them with good news. Akima and Cale spoke with the Starfleet Captain via an audiovisual uplink with the _Highlander_. He sat in his ready room so he couldn't be disturbed. As always, he was in high spirits when he spoke about the plans for the months to come.

"Starfleet will arrive here by tomorrow. I want us to discuss what's going to happen next. After all, the Federation can supply you with the necessary equipment to build a civilization, but it's still your planet."

"Hmm, you're right about that," Cale replied.

"There are enough different plans about how to do it, but there's nothing definite," Akima added. "Most ideas are aimed at the concept of living in a very efficient way without disrupting nature and environment in this critical stage of their development. We have our best engineers working on it on a daily basis. We can't live forever in these shelters and we certainly can't welcome delegates from dozens of different worlds under these circumstances."

The debate wasn't over yet and as long as people continued to disagree, they were relying on these shelters for the time being. Jason frowned and scratched the back of his head.

"Hmm, I understand. Meet me aboard the _Highlander_ with a team of engineers and the building plans. If we give it some thought together, we might be able to figure it out."

"Sounds like the best plan so far," Cale said approvingly.

"We'll contact you before 1400 hours. We'll meet at the same time as yesterday," Akima proposed.

"I'll make sure the conference room is ready. See you then. Jason out."

He ended transmission. Akima turned off the com. system and Cale was half on his way to take action immediately.

"I'm going to inform the engineering corps. They'll be happy to hear that-"

He was interrupted by Akima who flung her arms around his neck and gave him a long and passionate kiss. Their mouths were locked together for a good ten seconds until they separated, a leering look in their eyes.

"I love you Cale. You and I saved the human race and now we're going to rebuild it together. Isn't that wonderful?"

"You don't have to say that twice." It was all he said before he returned the favor. Love at first sight dominated. It was everywhere. He could see it in her eyes, feel it in the air around them. It was almost touchable. Nothing existed outside this single moment they were neither intending to let go of. "I love you too Akima. I love you more than anything else. I can't describe my feelings for you at the moment but I'm sure you feel the same."

They gave each other a last kiss before focusing on the task at hand.

"I'm going with you."

"All right, let's go then."

Opening the creaking door that separated their small living space from the outside world they were greeted by the comforting warmth of the Andali sun. The night had brought a refreshing rain that seemed to give life the moment it touched the ground. The moist lush green grass under their feet added to the whole experience just like the rippling sound of the river supplying the lake with fresh water from the mountains. Who looked past the rested shelters, could see a beautiful flourishing world in its early stages of development. The image of resting metal was soon about to change.

"It's brilliant!"

The engineer's enthusiasm bared some resemblance to Gune's though it wasn't shared by anyone else in the room. Jason and a few of his engineers, Akima, Cale, Marcus Taylor and the Earth engineering corps were sitting in the well known conference room they were currently using as a private place to discuss the plans regarding the newly created planet. Plans had been brought on the negotiation table and had been wiped off under the criticizing look of the council. Akima in particular really didn't share the enthusiasm with the good fellow.

"It's brilliant, but underground cities are not exactly the thing I hoped for."

"She's right," Cale supported his fiancée. "We've lived in the darkness of space for, what, fifteen years? And now we're gonna live underground?"

"I agree," Taylor said. He was a tall, muscular, dark-skinned man with a bald head and a deep low voice. He emitted strength and authority but remained calm under any circumstance and his criticism was most of the time well substantiated and rightly so. "Living underground covers some points of the plan but not all of them. Our comfort for example."

The engineer was quiet in an instant and Jason felt the urge to act as a mediator. A dozen different ideas had been dismissed and they were getting nowhere.

"What are your exact demands?"

"Simple, but not that simple obviously," Akima replied. "We wanna live in relative comfort, in an efficient way without harming the environment. Because it's in a developing stage, we can't risk overburdening the ecosystem."

"It's proving to be quite difficult to come up with a good solution," one of the engineers added. "But we can always take the experimental road."

Everyone turned their attention to the speaker. He seemed to be serious and ready to come up with something that hadn't gotten their attention yet.

"Speak up," Cale encouraged him.

"Captain, if you allow me?"

"Of course."

The engineer stood up and retrieved a data storage device from his pocket. After sliding the device into the imaging system a detailed blueprint with all the necessary measurements, data and construction materials of a building appeared on the screen on the opposite side of the large window. It began with a very wide more or less rectangular base and went straight up on one side and curved up on the other side. It eventually ended in a sharp tip.

"What is that?"

Cale had seen many things so far but this was radically different from all the other ideas.

"In secret I've been working on a project of myself. It's almost completed except for some minor details. It's a building, but not just a building. It's a completely autonomous habitat with an eventual height of over twelve thousand feet tall. It offers luxury apartments, working space, malls, hydroponics and recreational facilities to sustain approximately nine and a half million people. It's capable of producing its own power without pollution by using windows that act as highly efficient, multilayered, transparent solar panels. Waste disposal is taken care of by molecule disassemblers. There's virtually no pollution at all. In essence, it's a highly efficient self-sustaining vertical city."

Everyone was quiet for a good fifteen seconds. They were all astonished by this idea and maybe it wasn't that bad. It covered all points on the list and wasn't so bad to look at.

"Yes, it sounds very interesting and I believe you've put a lot of work in developing this plan, but you're forgetting one thing."

Akima crossed her arms. She was almost at the verge again of turning the whole plan down.

"And what would that be?"

"Don't understand me wrong, but it is impossible to build this in a reasonable amount of time. It would take years just to get the materials together and then a few more to actually build the thing even with Jason's help. We can't live in shelters for that long."

"Not necessarily," Jason interrupted. He got the attention of the engineers the moment he spoke because he was for a great deal responsible for realizing their ideas. "The drones use technology from another universe. They operate using an advanced form of matter energy-conversion. They're capable of creating matter out of pure energy, much like your father's _Titan_ I've read about Cale. We just have to load the exact schematics into the control matrix and the entire building will be put together in a relatively small amount of time in a very efficient way. They will be able to work twenty-four hours a day without a break. We're talking about building the entire thing in maybe a few weeks if we're lucky."

"I think this is the best plan so far."

"Okay, then that's everything. Accommodation, production facilities, a space station, orbital shipyards, it's all done."

"Well, shall we go home and call it a day or do we have more to discuss?" Akima asked.

"One more thing. Think about a general ship design. What's your future fleet going to look like? I know it's a little early to think about rebuilding the fleet, but since we're _this_ close to war."

Cale made a decision. After all, his father designed the _Titan_, the most advanced ship in the universe. Something he wasn't so sure of anymore but at least it had the technology and the power to create a planet, something he didn't expect to see another ship do any time soon.

"We'll think of something. I'm quite creative. With a little help it shouldn't be that hard."

Before the team returned to the surface, Pierce proposed a toast on the project.

"To a peaceful future."

Of course they all raised the glass to that thought.

Aboard the _Valkyrie_, the crew was just busy doing things for themselves, fraternizing with each other and performing the regular maintenance when an alarm sounded through the corridors. The fading hum of the warp engines indicated they were no longer at warp. A few seconds later, Korso's voice sounded over the com.

"All hands, please report to the bridge, we're approaching the nebula."

Stith stood up from the side of her bed with an annoyed grunt. She was just busy with her beloved guns when her Captain interrupted. A large rifle was standing with the muzzle on the ground between her legs, ready to be cleaned by its owner but unfortunately it had to wait.

"Stupid cloud of dust."

A quick look out the window confirmed why they couldn't go around it. It spread out too far in all directions. Although the nebula was large, it wasn't very dense so it shouldn't give too much problems with the intake manifolds. At least she hoped it, because she already knew who would be the one to clean them if they got clogged.

The entire crew arrived on the bridge in about the same time, finding Korso sitting in his chair on the upper level. He turned around to face his crew and began assigning tasks.

"Okay, I wanna see your best piloting and navigational skills. Preed, take the helm. Stith, I want weapons standing by. Who knows what's hiding in that nebula. There could be asteroids, debris, pirates and the last thing I want is a hull breach in the middle of a stellar dust cloud."

"Understood sir."

She was always busy fine-tuning the weapon systems so if anything showed up on scanners it wouldn't be there for long.

"Gune you're our navigator, keep a close eye on the scanners. Sound the alarm as soon as you detect something." The small alien muttered something under his breath and climbed the ladder to the upper level, activating all external sensors. "Kero, I was really impressed with your piloting skills. You can help Preed if you want."

"Yes sir, I'm right on it."

"Preed, take us in."

Preed obeyed and flew the ship into the nebula at thrusters only just to be on the safe side. They felt a slight vibration when the cloud of particles and dust touched the ship's exterior for the first time, completely enclosing the vessel into its swirling matter.

_**Authors note: Music track 5 (Nebula)**_

Cruising at low sub-light speed, the ship had little trouble with the strange environment.

"Preed, I think we can steadily increase our speed now."

_So far so good_. They just had to be careful not to overdo it and cause the engines to overload. If they got stuck no one would be able to find them in this soup of gas and dust.

"Yes Captain."

"Switching to ion drive," Kero added.

The ion engines jumped to life resulting in a slight burst of speed. The ship vibrated a bit as it gained more forward motion, the pressure on the hull increasing together with the ship's speed. To compensate, Stith rerouted power from other systems.

"Diverting more power to structural integrity field."

"Captain, my readings are getting odd."

"What's wrong Gune?"

"Sensors are not reading correct values."

Stith grunted.

"It could just be the particle flux. Our engines must've increased the effects. I'm modifying the targeting scanners to compensate; I suggest you do the same."

"I'm compensating. It worked Captain. Readings are returning to normal." The crew continued to make small modifications as they headed deeper into the nebula. The flux was interfering with some systems but it didn't pose a significant threat. It was almost beginning to get boring until Gune detected something on scanners. "Captain, my readings are changing!"

"What's up Gune?"

_Probably nothing_. He couldn't be sure though. He stood up to take a look and joined the alien behind the console.

"The composition of the nebula is changing. It was all helium, chloride and traces of xenon and argon. But now, I detect small traces of hydrogen and something else, it could be Ostetium."

"Ostetium? That's highly combustible, we must not-" He was interrupted by an explosion outside the ship. If he hadn't grabbed the console he had fallen on top of Gune. A small amount of Ostetium had exploded outside, sending a shockwave at the ship, causing it to tremble violently as it was knocked off course. "Preed, cut the engines!" Thanks to some quick handling by Kero and Preed they could prevent another explosion just in time. "Are we still in one piece?"

Stith checked the readings on her console.

"The hull is reading as intact. But this is gonna be a problem."

"Can we use thrusters?"

"Negative," Kero replied. "I've dealt with Ostetium before. Use of any of the propulsion systems causes the compound to ignite."

"Suggestions?"

"We could try to blow up the traces with the lasers."

Stith made a rude sound and looked at the Akrennian as if he were a complete fool, which he was in her eyes.

"Okay, now one that doesn't involve blowing up the entire nebula with us inside."

"Gune, if I'm not mistaken the string of Ostetium we ignited didn't blow up in an instant. Am I wrong?"

His navigator and scientist shook his head.

"No Captain, there's a slight delay between ignition and detonation. According to sensors approximately six point two seconds."

Korso grinned. He just might have found a solution although it was going to be a rough ride.

"Okay, listen up! This is how we're gonna do it. Listen carefully, we don't wanna be blown back to the Stone Age. Sensors detect denser concentrations of Ostetium directly in our path. Since we can't go around it, we're going to outrun the explosions."

Stith scoffed.

"Do you seriously think we can keep up?"

"That's why we're going to warp." Stith opened her mouth again to protest but Korso broke it off with a hand. "I know, the hull isn't designed to handle that much stress. I want you to divert all power to the forward structural integrity field but leave just enough to reach warp velocity." Stith shook her head. "What's wrong Stith?"

"I don't know. This plan sounds so crazy and reckless that it might actually work."

Korso flashed his weapons expert a smile.

"I know you guys can do it! So let's rock!"

The crew had the modifications ready in half a minute, waiting for Korso to give the order. It was definitely going to be the most sensational part of the trip, assuming they didn't run into any further trouble.

"I've left just enough power for the engines to go to warp. I'm using the rest to reinforce the forward structural integrity field."

"Excellent work Stith. Preed, she's yours."

Preed configured the engines for a rapid start and a fast jump to warp speed. Releasing all of the ship's power at once the _Valkyrie_ sped forward, igniting the volatile compound in the process.

"Engaging warp drive now!"

And he did just in time as a series of explosions followed in their wake.

"Structural integrity at eighty-five percent!" Kero yelled. "I'm detecting massive shockwaves behind us!" The ship trembled severely. The hull wasn't built to withstand this much stress. The explosions followed the _Valkyrie_ from behind, a chain reaction caused by her engine exhausts. "Seventy-five percent and dropping!"

"Gune, how long?"

He was trying to hold on to his chair, shouting through clenched teeth.

"Another forty-five seconds Captain," Gune yelped from behind his console.

He could barely stay on his feet.

"Hull integrity at sixty percent!... Fifty percent!... Thirty-five! The hull is starting to buckle! If we're not outta here soon she'll collapse!"

"Stith can you give me more power?"

"I'm afraid that's all I have!"

She checked her console to be sure but shrugged and shook her head.

"Take power from life support if you have to!"

"I'll try!"

"Come on old girl. I know you can do it," Korso whispered to his ship between clenched teeth.

Luckily the nebula was starting to become less dense around them as they approached the other side at a rather unsafe velocity.

"Hull integrity at fifteen percent! We've gotta slow down!"

There was a hint of panic in Kero's voice but they weren't there yet. If they stopped while still inside the nebula they would be vaporized.

"Hold your speed!"

Just in time, the ship rushed out of the nebula, dropping out of warp at a safe distance. A chain reaction of explosions went through the nebula, causing entire parts of the cloud to dissolve into nothing. It was actually quite the sight to see but the crew let go of the controls with a sigh of relief.

"Let's not do that again please," Stith said, hitting a button to return power levels to normal.

"I'm not guaranteeing anything," Korso replied with a smirk. "Status?"

Kero breathed a sigh.

"Structural integrity is holding steady at ten percent. We're lucky to be out of there in time. Micro fractures were already starting to form on the engine nacelles."

"All further systems are registering as normal Captain," Stith added.

"Resume previous course."

His crew obeyed but Gune seemed to have found something new and not life threatening or anything.

"Captain, I believe Gune has found shorter route."

"What's up Gune?" Korso asked in a friendly manor.

He was in the mood for good news.

"At warp, we left the nebula faster and I believe that if we follow this course through this star system we can cut a few hours off our journey."

He was already calculating trajectories and speeds to plot a new course. Korso nodded his approval. He always managed to get them to their destination faster than expected or detect something interesting on the way.

"Nice work Gune. If I give you maximum warp, how long do you think it'll take?"

Gune fastened his calculations and answered.

"If we follow this exact course at maximum warp… then the calculations predict it will take… seventeen hours, forty-seven minutes Captain."

"Preed, you're receiving a new course. Enter it into the computer and set the ship on auto-navigation. Stith, Kero? You might need some time to plan you arrival. Especially now everyone thinks you're dead Kero."

Kero gave it some thought and agreed. Rising on his massive legs he joined Stith to her quarters.

_**Authors note: Music track 6 (All of My Life – Phil Collins)**_

Stith closed the door of her room with a loud bang.

"So, what're you planning?"

She picked up the weapon she was busy cleaning before they entered the nebula and put it carefully in the locker. _One of my best._ It was a high-powered plasma rifle with scope for sniping tactics, used for taking out most targets from great distances. It was quite heavy and required someone with a strong set of muscles to handle. Someone like her.

"I was thinking. Since everyone thinks I'm dead, the best way to confront my father is to sneak in undetected and face him directly, without him knowing about our arrival."

"Why would you wanna do that?"

She flattening an ear and snorted.

"I… I eh… My brother and I are not getting along with each other very well lately. He never told me the reason but I think it's because I'm older. According to tradition that makes me the one to follow in my father's footsteps." He sighed and shook his head. "Being my father's oldest son means I have a lot to live up to. I'm the Crown Prince Stith. I may be Emperor one day." He sighed again. "How can I lead an Empire if I can't even live up to my father's expectations?"

"Oh no, not this again," she growled.

"I can clearly remember the day my brother discovered I was the one to lead our people. He was mad at me like I was personally responsible for our traditions."

Kero was looking at his feet instead of Stith. Stith however couldn't take it anymore.

"So what? According to tradition you're the rightful heir of the throne. There's nothing your brother can do to change that."

"Usually no. But they think I'm dead. They've probably found debris of my ship and thought the entire crew made 'the crossing'. It's reasonable for them to think I was among them. Anyway, he's now probably trying to claim the title for himself since he's the oldest son alive. When I return, the title will be mine again. As long as I'm alive I'm destined to rule. He'll be furious. He might even try to kill me."

"I'm not afraid. I'll kick his butt if he tries."

"Stith, no. This is something I must do alone. Rajah always did his best to gain father's affection. He was always the more aggressive type. Always using his fists. But the traditions cannot be broken. I must tell him there's more beside power once and for all."

He was no longer looking at his feet but straight ahead with determination. Rajah hadn't always been this way but his late puberty, bad temper and violent mood swings had done no good to their relationship. In this state he was even dangerous to the people he loved. When he looked he noticed Stith smiled.

"I'm proud of you. I knew you were fully capable of taking matters into your own hands when things get rough."

He returned her smile, his bright blue eyes twinkling.

"And I knew somehow you'd understand. But there's one more thing. What do you know about our culture? You grew up on Solbrecht, right?"

She wasn't sure what he was getting at. Did that make her so different from him?

"Right. I hope you can live with that."

"Well, I don't mind. Have you ever been to Sogowa?"

"Once, but that was a very long time ago. I don't remember much."

"Well, my people, on Sogowa live in a substantially different way than yours on Solbrecht. Some of us call it cultural contamination. On our world we live in complete harmony with nature. Preservation of the environment is one of the most important things on our homeworld. Everything from production of food and machinery till our methods of transportation is designed to cause as little impact on the planet's ecosystem as possible. Even ships from outsiders are required to land in specified areas to limit pollution of the atmosphere."

"Sounds wonderful."

She could live with rules like that. Most species just kept polluting their world until it was practically uninhabitable. On average, it took an awful long time for a species to realize they were destroying their own living environment. At least hers seemed to be smarter than average.

"I'm glad you like it but all those precautions also have their drawbacks. Most of us merely tolerate members of other species but some are not so sympathetic. It's hard to find an alien on Sogowa. That's my world in a nutshell. I wanna show it to you so badly. I'm sure you'll think it's beautiful."

Stith sat down on the side of her bed.

"Siddown, your feet are gonna become one with the deck plating if you keep standing in the same spot."

A bit reluctantly he sat down on Stith's bed. His right leg touched her left one as they sat next to each other.

"I hope they taught you something about our customs and religion on Solbrecht."

He sounded hopeful but he wouldn't be disappointed.

"How could I forget Kirliya the Enlightened?"

It was one of the few things her real mother taught her about her people. Kero smiled when he heard her saying that.

"The first Mantrin warrior."

"I know the stories." A smile played on her lips. "We call her a 'She' because She looks that way."

"But she's actually genderless and She's the one who gave birth to our beautiful race," Kero finished her sentence. "I think you'll fit in Stith. To be honest I had my doubts. I didn't know if our people on Solbrecht still know what they are and where they come from."

"May Kirliya enlighten your path."

Kero's smile became wider when he heard the saying. He was really starting to like this girl. This young woman who had become his friend and maybe not _just_ a friend. They just talked so well and he had the feeling she understood him better than his own parents ever did.

"May She do the same for you." In some way Stith hoped he would fling an arm around her shoulders. She was now really certain she liked him but instead he stood up and yawned out loud, covering his muzzle with his hand. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little tired." He made a smacking sound with his lips and excused himself. "I think I'm going to bed. If I'm not mistaken we'll arrive at daytime so I'm off for a few hours."

"Sleep well."

"You too."

He winked and it didn't go unnoticed. Stith watched as his large muscular body disappeared behind the door. The door closed shut with a metallic sound and she kept listening as his heavy footsteps removed themselves from her quarters. _I think I'm in love. _She shook her head. The thought alone filled her with confusion but secretly also joy. She had been a warrior her whole life and sharing it with someone she loved always seemed so unreal to her. But there was something about this Mantrin, this young Prince. In some way he was a warrior too, serving the Imperial Guard, his Empire. He was handsome, well-build and kinda sweet. No, he _was_ sweet for a Mantrin and she liked that about him. But the thing their clashing personalities seemed to have most in common was when they were among each other. They just got along so well. She had to admit she was beginning to love him in a romantic sort of way. One full week on Sogowa. It would help her discover if the feeling was mutual or if they were just gonna stay good friends.

Although he promised himself to go to his quarters and sleep, Kero kept turning over from one side to the other. He had been relatively calm about the situation at Stith's quarters but now, when he was alone, he felt the anxiety again. He turned on his back on the bed that was actually too small for him and stared at the ceiling, following the tubes and wires that carried power and data streams to all the systems that kept the ship running. Would you be happy to see your parents again? Of course had to answer yes. They were his parents. The'lah always seemed to understand him more than Zahn did but she still failed to see the point sometimes.

"Your father only wants what's best for you Kero."

She had said it so many times. But he was in no way like his father. They both didn't understand. But Stith? Stith was a whole different story. At least he could finally talk to someone who truly seemed to understand what he was going through. He secretly enjoyed the moments when he could talk to her alone. He frequently noticed in their conversations that she sometimes understood him better then himself. He had also noticed he was beginning to feel a certain affection for her. _Am I in love?_ It could be. She was a beautiful young Sogowan Mantrinesse, so why not? He wasn't sure the feeling was mutual but her behavior didn't say the opposite. Besides, a little bit of flirting wouldn't hurt either of them. He grumbled. _She always tells me to calm down so turn around and go to sleep._ And with Stith's wise words in the back of his head, he turned around one more time before he did.


	13. Chapter 11 The Heart of the Empire

**The Heart of the Empire**

* * *

The _Valkyrie_ had almost reached its destination when Kero went through the entire plan for the last time. No one could just enter Imperial space without identification. Besides, it was almost impossible to avoid detection since patrolling vessels guarded the borders, assisted by a detection grid covering the entire system. The goal was Sogowa Prime, homeworld to the Mantrins since they fled Mantra and center of the Imperial government. Just dropping by was out of the question. Before they crossed the border, Kero outlined his idea.

"We have to follow procedures. When we drop out of warp our engine emissions will be picked up by the grid and we'll most likely be intercepted by a warship. Ask for the city of Ta'keth. It's our largest city, home to the government and the Imperial palace. Their scanners will detect two Mantrin life signs aboard. We'll pose as passengers who just wanted a lift home. I wanna drop in without my father knowing. If everything goes according to plan, they'll assign you a landing spot just outside the city. Be sure to follow these exact procedures cause I won't be able to assist once we've made contact."

"Okay, anything else?" Korso asked, trying to memorize all of the Prince's instructions.

_Why does he want to sneak in undetected?_ It wasn't of his concern but Kero sure knew how to keep things from everyone around him.

"Good luck on Solbrecht. Stith and I will manage. You'll have your gunner back before you know it."

"I'll hold you on to that."

The smile he flashed him was more of a cover up for the concern he felt. If they ran into any trouble on the way, he wouldn't have his weapons expert to blast his way out.

A few moments later the _Valkyrie_ dropped out of warp at the edge of the Sogowa system. The crew was on full alert as a suspicious move from their side could cause the inhabitants of the system to blast them out of the sky without an excuse. Gune's scanners went wild, just like the alien himself.

"I'm reading lots of activity in the system. Six planets, lots of ships and space installations."

"Head for Sogowa Prime, it's the second planet." The Prince stood on the upper level behind the Captain's chair, gazing into the distance at the green-bluish marble he called home. He had been on a deep space mission for some time when the _Myrana_ was attacked and he had been off world ever since they left space dock. To see the planet again, even from a distance brought back the memories of the warm climate, the abundance of forests and jungles and the magnificent city of Ta'keth where he lived. It was a marvelous world that most species envied the moment they set foot on the surface. "We've probably been picked up by the grid by now."

"Setting course Captain." As Preed steered the _Valkyrie_ toward the planet at sub-light speed Korso made sure his weapons expert kept the weapons powered down to ensure they didn't appear hostile on the scanners of patrolling Imperial vessels. "Hmph, looks like someone noticed us. And they're not too eager to let us pass I believe."

"Slow down Preed. We don't want 'em to think we're looking for a fight."

Korso's eyes were locked at the vessel approaching them at a steady speed. The warship was massive. It was similar in shape to Kero's ship but much larger and more heavily armed. All sides were covered by multi-directional laser cannon emplacements. In addition it was armed with heavy dual-barreled forward laser artillery, both fore and aft ion torpedo launchers and two large nuclear implosion missile carriages mounted on the forward side of the wing structure. Powerful engines attached to the tail section and aft of the wing-shaped forward bow gave the ship a decent forward push.

"Captain, they're hailing us!"

"Put it on audio Gune."

After Gune opened a channel a heavy male voice bellowed over the speakers. He didn't sound particularly friendly but he at least opened his mouth instead of firing his ship's impressive array of weapons.

"This is Captain Ma'zan of the Imperial warship _Volari_ to unidentified vessel. State the nature of your presence in our system!" Korso's lips were sealed for a moment. He had to convince the Mantrin Captain to let them land into the capitol without raising suspicion. "Respond or we will open fire!"

Gune squawked loudly. The energy signatures aboard the ship raised drastically indicating it was powering up its weapon systems.

In orbit of Earth, Jason Pierce stood on the bridge of the _Highlander_. His operations officer had requested him on the bridge and not without reason. Eighteen ships carrying Federation signatures had just arrived in the system.

"I'm reading twelve drone carriers, two Defiant class Escorts, an Akira class heavy cruiser, a Ronin class battlecruiser, an Europa class superdestroyer… and a Nebula class science vessel?"

Pierce agreed with his ops. officer. Admitted, that last one was a bit odd but it was about to become more clear soon. He also expected neither a Europa nor a Ronin class starship to show up but if they engaged in battle they could sure use the extra firepower. Both classes were heavily armed though not specifically designed as warships.

"Hail the lead ship."

"Channel open sir, on screen."

The Captain of the USS _Capella_, the Europa class starship, was an older man with a lot of experience. There were traces of gray in his dark brown hair and his face wasn't the youngest among Starfleet Captains. He displayed a friendly smile as Jason was not entirely unfamiliar to him.

"This is Captain Halloway of the _Capella_."

"Greg, long time no see."

Not so long ago they had worked together on a deep space assignment. It had been a difficult mission that had pushed the abilities of both Captains to the limit but it was a success and Pierce hoped to work together again at some point in the near future. It seemed the time had come.

"Jason, it's good to see you too but I hoped we would meet again under better circumstances."

"So did I, but I'm glad you're here. Everything's currently under control. We're going to rebuild this world one way or another."

"Starfleet has placed you in control of the mission. We're standing by for further orders from you. We're leaving the carriers under your control now since your ship is better equipped to handle the task."

"I want your task force to start working on a patrol grid. No ship must be allowed to enter the system without authorization. Set up a defense perimeter around the planet."

It was better not to take risks. The Earth in this universe didn't have a fleet, at least not anymore to defend their own world. They wouldn't even be able to defend themselves against a simple squad of pirate vessels hoping for an easy target.

"We will. If there's nothing else?"

"Oh yes, one more question. What's with the science vessel?"

"The _Houston_'s going to map the region and check for any strategic points to set up defenses in case of an attack. Its powerful sensors are able to map large pieces of space at a time."

"Another thing; how's my wife?"

Gregory smiled.

"That's question number two young man. Sandra's fine. She and the kids are living a happy life on Earth. They hope to see you back soon. I told 'em they don't have to worry about their father. You can take excellent care of yourself."

"Thanks. We have our orders. Good luck Greg."

"You too Jason. Gregory out."

Jason stared at the view screen for a while. His thoughts were with his wife and kids he hadn't seen in three months time. It was one of the difficulties a Starfleet Captain had to deal with. The faces of his small family appeared in front of him between the stars until he felt the hand of his First Officer on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Jason, you'll see 'em again soon."

He turned around to face his Number One. Commander Winter was a capable officer and a great moral support sometimes.

"Yeah I know. I'm letting my thoughts drift away sometimes. I need something to distract me. We can't keep our guests waiting. Number One you're with me. Lieutenant you have the bridge. Prepare for drone activation." His tactical officer assumed command as he and Chrysta headed for the turbo lifts. All the important people of New Earth were gathered in a special command center on one of the larger decks. It was modified from one of the bigger science labs as the ship didn't have such a facility as standard equipment. The link between the _Highlander_ and the automated drone carriers was already established. The control matrix, a specialized computer system that interfaced with the construction ships was active and waiting to receive schematics and instructions. The entire delegation went silent when Pierce and Winter walked in. "Does anyone wanna say something before we begin?"

Cale stepped outside the crowd. Pierce liked the enthusiasm of the young man and saw him as a potential friend. Cale handed him a data module containing all the carefully laid out plans.

"I believe I speak for everyone if I say: Let's do it."

Pierce smiled and placed the module into the interface of the control matrix. Everything was uploaded to the carriers with a few commands.

"Then do it."

He patted Cale on the back and did a step backward. Only by the touch of a tiny button the drone carriers began their descend through New Earth's atmosphere. When they had reached the ground they automatically fired their landing thrusters and extended four large landing struts. Large hovering drones with two mechanical arms and a matter replication system swarmed out of the hangar bays on the sides. Only by the touch of a tiny button Cale started the process of building a new world where all humans could once again live in peace and prosperity.

Things were a bit different in the Sogowa system at the other end of the sector. The tension had reached a critical moment in only a short period of time. The Mantrin Captain threatened to open fire if Korso didn't reply so he did, carefully.

"This is Captain Joseph Korso of the Earth ship _Valkyrie_. I carry two passengers who wanted a lift home. I'm asking permission to drop 'em off."

"Who says you're telling the truth, human?" Ma'zan's voice grumbled.

It wasn't hard to tell this guy didn't have a large amount of patience. Mantrins had a legendary short temper and this one was no different.

"Scan our ship. It'll confirm our identity."

It remained silent for a few seconds at the other end until Ma'zan had confirmed they were actual flesh and blood beings and not some kind of deception. The tone of his voice was noticeably less hostile when he replied.

"I apologize for my inappropriate behavior. We're currently in a state of heightened alert."

"Why is that so?"

Korso kind of knew the answer already. He doubted the attack on the colony and Kero's ship were the only two incidents. It couldn't have gone unnoticed by an entity as large as the Imperial Guard.

"Several of our ships have gone missing or been destroyed including the _Myrana_, the ship of young Prince Kero. Our entire race mourns his death."

"I feel deeply sorry for your loss. You have my sincere condolences."

Korso tried to sound sincere although the person the Empire considered dead was standing on the very same bridge. Although Kero more or less knew that already, it still shocked him to hear his entire people mourned because of this assumption.

"Thanks for being so understanding. Follow us and there won't be any more _mis_understandings. Ma'zan out."

The warship turned around and followed a course to Sogowa Prime with the _Valkyrie_ in pursuit. Korso crossed his arms and breathed a sigh.

"What a nice guy. They really think you're dead Kero."

"Yeah, I better get down there quickly to show 'em the opposite."

The Prince still stood on the upper deck, watching his homeworld grow larger and larger. Sogowa Prime was a relatively large world in a system with a total of six planets orbiting a yellow dwarf star. Two moons accompanied the planet on its trajectory around the sun. The planet featured hot summers and warm winters but at the moment the climate looked more like what humans would call spring. Outstretched forests and jungles covered the surface only to be interrupted by a few seas and lakes. Mountains were rare but not unheard of and could at best be described as abnormally large hills. Snow was practically unknown to Mantrins as it wasn't cold enough anywhere on the planet. It was essentially a paradise of nature.

"Lot of activity around the third planet."

"Yep, that's where the industry and shipyards are located. Everything from a simple piece of equipment to a starship is being built there since it's uninhabitable. Very rich in minerals and ore though. You won't find a single polluting factory on Sogowa Prime. All of our energy sources are built underground."

"A clever strategy." "I almost forgot. Better collect my stuff."

Remembering he would leave the human ship for good now he hastily walking down the stairs and left the bridge.

A few minutes later the _Valkyrie_ established orbit around Sogowa Prime. They received the landing coordinates from Ma'zan while Preed prepared the ship for atmospheric flight. Stith was eager to join Kero. The last time she visited her homeworld was years ago, when she was very young. She had always been a girl from the colonies and always would be.

"The spaceport's just outside the city of Ta'keth. You're requested to land on pad two, grid four b. I must warn you about one thing Captain. Not all members of my race are fond of outsiders. I wouldn't recommend on staying too long."

"It's just a drop off, we'll be on our way in no time."

"Safe journey, Ma'zan out."

In the mean time Kero appeared back on the bridge with what little things he had brought with him from his own ship and two large patches of cloth that looked like blankets. Stith frowned and flattened an ear when she noticed.

"Seriously, are you expecting me to wear that with those temperatures?"

"I don't wanna draw any unwanted attention from anyone who happens to pass by."

"With blankets covering your entire body when it's twenty-four degrees out there?"

The astonished tone of her voice didn't do much to change his opinion. They hadn't even set foot on the planet but she was seriously beginning to think his brain was already cooked, which was certainly going to happen while wearing those things.

"Stith please, try to understand."

"If you were any other person."

She sighed and grabbing the improvised cloak, draping it over her body in a way that she was almost fully covered while Kero did the same. She was unrecognizable wearing the cloak, only her muzzle and legs could be seen.

"I hope you know what you're doing. And you can forget about covering my legs. Last time I tried that it was a complete joke."

"As long as they can't see our faces its fine with me."

Korso observed all of this with a raised eyebrow but still didn't ask any questions. He could only wonder what the Prince was up to. He was certainly no ordinary Mantrin.

While Stith and Kero continued to discuss their plans, Preed laid in an approach vector and steered the ship down into the atmosphere. The darkness of space was gradually replaced by the blue of Sogowa's sky. When the ship plummeted through a thin layer of clouds into the habitable zone they could see the city of Ta'keth beneath them through the large window on the bridge.

_**Authors note: Music track 7 (Ta'keth – (Supreme Commander Original Soundtrack – The Aeon Illuminate – first half))**_

The massive city was embedded into a large valley surrounded by sloping hills covered with forests and jungles. Some of these forests extended into the city, providing the inhabitants with nice quiet places for anyone who would like to spend some time alone. In the middle there was a large lake with smaller waters spreading like veins throughout the city. The only entrance to the valley from the ground was guarded by a large decorated gate and thick stone walls. It was no longer in use but merely remained as a memorial. Behind the gate the wilderness began and a large sea extended as far as the eye could see. The buildings in the city were large but only two stories high at most. Everything was connected via a network of large broad streets to provide every Mantrin with enough space to move around. The Imperial palace was quite the opposite. It was a large outstretched complex of towers and minarets, surrounded by beautiful gardens, ponds and fountains.

"Looks almost like a fairytale," Korso remarked when he caught the towers of the palace in his gaze.

"It's beautiful," Stith uttered her admiration. "I've never seen anything like it."

The _Valkyrie_ flew toward the spaceport next to the gate which was a more isolated area. It absolutely didn't fit in with the rest of the magnificent city and that was likely one of the reasons it was built outside town. A large gray control tower, refueling stations, hangars for smaller craft and a lot of open space for ships to land. It looked like a dead spot on Sogowa's flourishing surface. Preed put the _Valkyrie_ down on her landing gear on the pad as designated but kept the engines hot. They would leave immediately as soon as Stith and Kero left. The spaceport was large but most of the pads were empty. The most likely cause was the current situation. It was surrounded by a large containment field together with atmospheric recyclers that filtered the air saturated with engine exhausts from the landing and departing ships before rerouting it back into Sogowa's atmosphere.

"I'll try to be back in one week. Have a little vacation Stith. It looks like a really nice place for a holiday. And with a vacation I don't mean target practice."

He added a grin, which she answered with one of her own.

"Hmm, I'm not making promises about the 'target practice'-part."

"Bye!" Gune squawked, waving.

She gently patted the alien's head, smiling.

"I'll be back soon. Keep an eye on Preed."

"What?" Preed asked.

But Stith didn't go in detail.

"It was an honor Kero. Until we meet again," Korso said with a very slight bow.

"I'm confident about that," Kero said with a nod.

He left the bridge together with Stith. She headed for her quarters first for the few little things she absolutely couldn't miss. After that they headed for the airlock, ready to breathe in the fresh air of Sogowa Prime. The Crown Prince had returned to his homeworld.

Although he was a little reluctant at first to get back to Sogowa, Kero was still happy to be back home. The moment he set foot on Imperial soil, though it was only a landing pad, he enjoyed it. The warmth of the sun on his slate-colored skin, the fresh air flowing through his lungs, the smell of blossoms in his nose, it was the familiar feeling of home.

"It's good to be home, but I'm still not entirely looking forward to seeing my father," the Prince said from under the cloak.

The only thing visible was the tip of his muzzle and his massive legs. Stith was dressed in a similar fashion.

"Don't worry, you'll manage." She had lost count of how many times she had tried to reassure him. "This is not funny by the way," she grumbled.

Lifting the cloak from her field of vision so she could at least see where she landed up, she tried to walk a few steps with the cloak on. When she looked past the concrete of the spaceport, a beautiful flourishing world opened up to her as far as the eye could see. The city of Ta'keth in the distance was embedded into a large valley surrounding the entire city except for one opening. Ta'keth's spaceport was built near these walls to keep the ships out of the city and the peace and quiet in. They stood on the landing pad at a safe distance as the _Valkyrie_ took off, the powerful thrusters creating a miniature storm. They kept staring at it for as long as they could see it, until the ion engines fired and it disappeared from sight.

It was an average walk to the city so on the way Kero had plenty of time to talk about all the beautiful places he wanted to show Stith. Sogowa Prime had a lot to offer at the terms of beauty and endless freedom but it hadn't always been that way.

"After Mantra became uninhabitable it took our ancestors decades to find a new suitable home for our race to live. A barren planet in a deserted solar system was the only thing available at that moment so they had to take matters into their own claws to create something acceptable. Using advanced terraforming techniques they slowly adapted the climate and created the paradise that you see right now."

"I can see why you love your homeworld."

She only wished she could enjoy it without the blankets because she was already starting to sweat. Temperatures on Sogowa never dropped below zero and in summer it could be as hot as forty degrees on average. A refreshing rain was the only thing capable of cooling things off a bit at that time of the year.

"It can be your homeworld too if you like," he laughed. They walked over a large grass-covered field from where they had an excellent view of the city. It was a breathtaking view and Stith could already see a possible future unfold in front of her. This could be her home, forever if she wanted. "Wait till you see it in the evening. When the sun goes down the sky turns into a beautiful mixture of orange and pink. Then you can see She'loh and Dimra slowly climbing the sky. At first it looks like She'loh is gonna reach the top first but his smaller sister catches up with him when they reach the highest point."

"I'd love to see it." They remained silent for a few minutes until Stith asked: "What happened to our native homeworld anyway? I've heard a lot of stories but I'm not sure what to believe."

"Oh that. Well, Mantra was similar to Sogowa but geologically less stable. Volcanic eruptions were not unheard of but at a certain point in time they became increasingly more violent. At first our ancestors thought the planet was reaching a new era and that it eventually would pass but they were mistaken." He shook his head. Stith was fascinated by her species' history. She didn't know what to believe but he probably knew more about it. "Earthquakes destroyed everything we'd built. Volcanoes started to appear everywhere. Tons of volcanic ash had fallen into the atmosphere blocking out the sun and making the air unbreathable for any form of life. From that day, our ancestors never saw daylight again. The air became ionized by the ash. Extremely violent thunderstorms dominated the skies day and night but it was so dark they couldn't even tell which part of the day it was. They fled the planet with only themselves and some of the materials to start a new life elsewhere which eventually led them here."

"So that's what happened. A proud race of warriors driven from their planet by the forces of nature to start a new life elsewhere."

"Yep, I hope it'll never repeat itself. We're getting close to the city. I recommend we switch to our native language to keep a low profile."

"You say it," Stith replied in her native language as spoken throughout the Empire.

Not too long after they left the first real buildings of the city behind them, Stith found herself walking through a beautiful thriving metropolis. She found it extremely uncomfortable to cover her body with blankets with this warm weather but she only did it for Kero. If he were any other person she would have refused. An extremely long road flanked by indigenous plants and trees crossed the entire length of the city and lead directly to the Imperial palace. The buildings were kept low, with a wide door opening, large windows and small front gardens. At first sight, it seemed a bit more primitive than she was used to but when she took a quick look inside one of the houses she saw a normal household with electricity, running water and modern technology. Two young children were playing in a large living room while their parents watched over them. _Almost too perfect._ The streets were filled with members of her own species in all different kinds of colors, shapes and sizes. Faster flying forms of transportation brought the inhabitants to any location in the city in a clean and efficient way. She found it delightful to be among members of only her own species again. From the corners of her eyes she noticed they were looking at her and Kero. She didn't have to guess the reason. It was a sunny day and it was far too hot to wear thick clothes but Kero didn't want them to be seen so she granted him that satisfaction.

"Isn't it a bit far to walk?" she asked her friend.

The valley was large and the road long and it would take them a while to get to the home of the Emperor on foot. Of course they had plenty of time but she would be glad to get the reunion between Kero and his parents over and done with. If the Emperor was really such a stern father as Kero told her this was going to be difficult for him.

"We could've taken an air cab but then I had to tell the driver that I don't have any money. Besides, we would be going too fast for me to show you all the hotspots."

Later, as they crossed the large pedestrian bridge over the lake in the middle of the city she realized why Kero was so passionate about this place. The water was so clear she could see everything, from water plants and fish of all sorts and sizes to the few happy swimmers enjoying a refreshing dive. A large Goureg Mantrin snatched a fish in his beak when reaching the surface.

"This looks great Kero," she exclaimed happily.

"Shhh! I'm glad you like it and there's much more to see, but we agreed to keep a low profile and yelling my name doesn't help a lot."

His voice had quieted to a whisper and he suspiciously looked around if anyone heard her.

"Oops, sorry."

She couldn't hide a smirk. It was hard to keep her enthusiasm under control.

Finally, after two hours of walking they reached the gates of the Imperial palace. It was built partially on the hills surrounding the valley and the rays of the sun reflecting off the white walls of the towers made it look gorgeous. The only problem were the two armed members of the Palace Guard guarding the gates surrounding the palace gardens. These gates were mainly ceremonial as they crackled softly with the energy of force fields. The guards weren't armed with ordinary weapons but stood in position with long black sticks with a small sphere-shaped tip resting on the ground.

"Energy lances," Kero whispered with a nod in their direction. "One shot or touch with the tip of that thing can completely incapacitate an adult Mantrin."

Stith wondered what one of those would do to a non-Mantrin. It would probably kill or vaporize him. It was mainly ceremonial but still a weapon they wouldn't hesitate to use against uninvited guests. Apparently the two guards placed them in that very category.

When they approached they immediately activated their lances and pointed them at the two friends. The small sphere on top of the weapon crackled with bluish-white energy, ready to stun the target with a powerful discharge. They looked almost exactly the same, both members of the Orketh race, smaller than average, chestnut-colored with black stripes on their hips but the same characteristics as any other Mantrin. _Probably brothers._

"Halt! What do you two think you're doing?"

"Show your faces!"

"We wish to speak to the Emperor. It's a matter of great importance," Stith replied from under the cloak as respectfully as she was capable of.

"What makes you think the Emperor wishes to speak with two disguised strangers?"

"Now go! Before we'll have you arrested!"

"I think it's time to drop our disguise," Stith whispered.

She noticed Kero giving her a quick nod. Dropping the cloaks they revealed their true appearance.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your watch, but is my father home?" Kero asked in a friendly manor.

For a second the beaks of both guards dropped open. They immediately deactivated their weapons, dropped them on the ground and fell on their first set of knees bowing deeply. The voice of the left one stuttered when he spoke.

"I- I mean we- We're sorry. We didn't know."

"Please, forgive us our brutality."

"Please, get up. There's no need to apologize."

The two brothers got up on their feet and grabbed their weapons but continued to look down as they spoke.

"We were told that His Highness, Prince Kero died in a brave battle against enemies of the Empire. Debris from the _Myrana_ was found and the entire crew was presumed lost."

"I'm not that easy to kill." Kero smirked although he merely put up a brave front. "Can I speak to my father?"

"Of course, Highness."

He tapped in a security code on a panel near the entrance. The gate unlocked and the crackling force fields behind it deactivated.

"We are delighted to see that the lost Prince has returned to claim the throne in his honor."

"I don't think that everyone's particularly happy about that."

Kero instantly had to think of his brother. Rajah probably wasn't too happy to see him.

"Resume your watch."

"Yes, Highness."

When Stith entered the palace gardens with Kero she found herself standing in a most remarkable place. So much green, peace and quiet in one spot, it was almost overwhelming. They both felt the urge to take a break here and now in the middle of all of this but resisted. There were more important things to be done first.

"A lot of peace and quiet here." She tossed the blanket over her shoulder, glad to be rid of that thing. Now that she was no longer forced to wear it she could fully enjoy the experiences this world had to offer. "It's a nice place to relax and just be alone."

"I loved to play here when I was young," Kero said, taking a deep breath, inhaling the smell of sweet flowers, grass and home. "The sound of twittering birds all day. The smell of flowers in your nose. The warmth of the sun on your skin. I could spend hours just lying in the grass and listening to everything around me."

"I would love to try it sometime."

She had to think of him as a little boy, creating a really cute image in her mind. He showed her his toothy smile.

"I think it's even more relaxing with just the two of us."

She had no answer to his last comment. _He really likes me. _It almost made her want to tell how much she liked him. Almost, but she couldn't bring herself to saying it out loud.

The main entrance of the complex was guarded by four more guards. They reaction was not unanticipated.

"At ease."

Kero grabbing Stith's blanket together with his and dropped them in the arms of the nearest guard.

"It's good to have you back Prince Kero."

"Good to see you too."

_**Authors note: Music track 7 (Ta'keth – (Supreme Commander Original Soundtrack – The Aeon Illuminate – second half))**_

Although the Imperial palace was already impressive from the outside, the inside was even more. Enormous corridors and halls with high ceilings, all beautifully decorated with sculptures of Mantrin warriors in full combat gear, carpets showing scenes of ancient battles and everything built out of a white sort of marble. Stith didn't say anything, overwhelmed by her surroundings. Kero walked firmly next to her, taking big steps. She knew the upcoming moments would be difficult for him. A servant they walked into almost dropped a plate with food when she saw the lost Prince but caught it right on time.

"He doesn't know we're coming yet." The expression on his face had turned serious and so did the tone of his voice. He almost looked like it weren't his own legs, but an invisible force pushing him in the back brought him closer to the bottom of the stairs leading up to the throne hall. When they had reached the top he took a deep a breath as he approached the huge stone doors. Stith wasn't sure if she should wish him luck or not. She was a little overwhelmed to be in the house of the Emperor and hadn't said a word from the moment they entered. Placing his hands on the doors, Kero hesitated for a slight moment. "Here we go."

"Careful with that!" the Emperor's deep heavy voice bellowed through the throne hall.

He was massive, even for a member of the Goureg race. Standing nearly eight feet tall, he was one of the largest among the entire species and his appearance was already intimidating enough if he wasn't using his voice. Although he was the Emperor of a proud race of natural born warriors, his garments were quite simple. The Mantrin idea of clothing was that it had to be comfortable to wear, nothing more. A long white open shirt with a few decorations indicating his status was an example of that ideology. The long sleeves that extended to his wrists completely covered his thick heavily muscled arms, ending in large claws with flexible fingers. Normally, he was very good natured but today rather annoyed because his servants didn't seem to understand the concept of 'careful'. They were busy trying to put up another artifact for display. The throne hall was located on the higher floors of the complex. The ceiling on the open left side was supported by huge columns. The large balcony provided an excellent and breathtaking view of the city and the amount of light coming from that side of the room was sufficient to light the whole place.

"I'm doing the best I can my lord," one of the drudging servants said, panting heavily.

He and his companions were trying to lift a sculpture of a legendary warrior on its base but it was very heavy, even for a Mantrin.

"It's extremely delicate and irreplaceable," Zahn barked at him.

"If it is that important, maybe you should consider giving them a hand instead of just yelling orders."

The'lah suddenly stood next to her mate with her arms crossed. Her normally friendly bright blue eyes flickered with a bit of irritation. Her husband was treating the servants as slaves once again.

"Honey, can't you see that I'm instructing them the best I can?"

His wife rolled with her eyes, stunned by her husband's ability not to do anything by himself.

"Kirliya gave us hands remember? So we didn't need to have others doing everything for us."

With a last groaning push the servants finally got the artifact in place. They all let themselves drop on the floor from exhaustion, trying to catch their breath.

"I know, I know, you see everything's fine now," he said, gesturing at his exhausted servants with a big toothy smile.

The'lah shook her head, her large ears flapping around lazily.

"You're incorrigible, you know that?"

He shrugged.

"Can't just stop being what I am."

"Zahn!"

Her husband wanted to have the last word again but something more important caught her attention.

The guards standing near the entrance immediately wanted to stop the uninvited guests from entering but fell on their first set of knees when they recognized him. When Kero entered the throne hall the first thing he saw were the lovely eyes of the Mantrinesse who gave birth to him. The'lah couldn't believe her eyes. Standing next to the unfamiliar Sogowan Mantrinesse was her oldest son she thought she had lost forever. Zahn wanted to end the discussion but his wife grabbed him by his arm before he could say more.

"What?"

He still hadn't noticed his oldest son standing in the door opening.

"I can't believe it," The'lah brought out with trembling voice.

When he turned around to see what she was looking at he was quiet. For a few seconds they were just standing there, staring at each other. Stith noticed Kero was having a lot of difficulty fighting his emotions. His ears sagged and his eyes watered. His lower lip quivered when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Mom? Dad?"

Suddenly as fast as they could, Kero and his mother ran into each other. She enclosed her son in her large warm arms and he did the same, holding on to her.

"I thought I'd lost you forever," she said, a tear rolling over her cheek.

Kero sobbed on her shoulder. His large muscular shoulders started to shake uncontrollably and his tail dropped down on the tiled floor with a soft thump. His father walked up to them and patted his son on the back.

"Leave us!" Zahn barked at the servants who hastily left the throne hall.

When Kero and his mother released each other she wiped her son's tears away, grabbed his head and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Never do that again."

"I won't, I promise."

"Come here my son," Zahn said with open arms. "Tell me what happened."

Kero buried his face in his father's chest and softly sobbed. The Emperor's eyes watered as he rubbed his son's back.

"We were attacked. They destroyed my ship and murdered my crew. Stith saved my life."

"Why didn't you return? We thought we'd lost you."

"I thought I failed you. That I would embarrass you if I'd return. I thought you didn't want me as your son anymore."

Zahn hugged his son tightly against his chest, taking a deep breath.

_**Authors note: Music track 8 (Phil Collins – Father to Son)**_

"I- I'm really sorry if I've given you that impression Kero. I really am. I wanted you to become a warrior but when I thought you were dead I realized I might have driven it too far. I blamed myself for it. I was trying to recreate you into my own image and that just wasn't you." He sighed. "But you turned out all right didn't you?"

"Zahn!"

The'lah gave him a warning look.

"Sorry." He paused for a moment, thinking about what to say next. "My point is Kero, no matter how you solve your problems, or how things turn out, you will always be my son and I would never disown you."

Kero looked up from his father's shoulder.

"I was wrong about you father. What was I thinking? I thought of you as harsh and mean while you only wanted the best for me. You told me that a dozen times mom." He turned his face toward Stith. He had left her standing there without telling his parents who she was. He realized he had given her a wrong image of his father. "I've given you that impression too Stith. I was so wrong. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize Kero."

She felt so sorry for him. He sparked every bit of pity inside of her.

"No, I was wrong," Zahn admitted. "I made a mistake. Everyone does now and then. Can you forgive me for that?"

"Of course father, I forgive you. I'm so glad you're my dad. I love you."

"I love you too my son. And remember, I'll always be there for you when you need me." When Kero had calmed down a bit he introduced Stith to his parents and the other way around. Eager to meet the girl who saved their son, Zahn and The'lah received her with open arms. "I'm glad to see you have a girlfriend Kero," Zahn said in a laconic way.

"Whoa whoa, we've become friends but I'm not his girlfriend," Stith objected with a laugh.

You didn't meet the Emperor everyday but he and his wife were already treating her as a member of their family. The Emperor was quite the opposite of what Kero had made her think before.

"Yet. I can see how you two look at each other. I'd say there's more going on than you both want to admit."

Stith and Kero were both silent for a brief moment. It was Kero who broke the silence and switched to a different subject. That was between them.

"Father, I have important news you must know about. Something's happened and I think the future of the Empire might be at stake."

At that moment a large black-skinned Mantrin entered the throne hall. He was slightly smaller than Kero and shot him and Stith, a brief and vicious look. His eyes stood aggressive and his whole attitude emanated hostility. A scar ran over the left side of his face and his eyelid. Walking away from a fight was something this guy would never do. His left ear tip was pierced by a small golden ring and he wore the uniform of the Elite Assault Force, a special group of the most highly trained Mantrin warriors only to be deployed aboard starships and for special missions in times of war. A pair of vibro-blades stuck in the sheaths around his middle leg segments and he carried a large caliber energy weapon on his back like it was nothing.

"_This is Rajah. No mistake,"_ Stith thought.

By a single glance she could determine he was dangerous when provoked. She thought about what Kero told her and doubted he would hesitate to use his fists to get what he wanted.

"Your brother has returned Rajah," Zahn said in a friendly manor.

"Yes father, I can see that," Rajah replied in a rather nonchalant way, trying to conceal the anger he felt.

He didn't care that his brother was back and maybe even hated the fact that he didn't die with his ship. Walking to the large adjacent balcony he pretended to enjoy the view.

"I believe we have more to discuss," Zahn continued on a casual tone. "Would you two like to join us for a walk through the gardens?"

Kero looked at Stith. She laughed.

"What're you looking at me for? Why not?"


	14. Chapter 12 Brothers

**Brothers**

* * *

It was a beautiful day on Sogowa; almost perfect. However it would have been better if Kero hadn't brought home such concerning news. He told his father everything during their walk. From the attack on the _Myrana_, to his rescue by Stith and from the existence of the trans-dimensional gates to the entire conflict and the threat of possible war. His father listened with both ears but still had a little trouble keeping up with him. His oldest son had gotten himself into something beyond his imagination and this time it meant trouble. He had to get a few things straight. He was the ruler of an Empire, sworn to protect his people at all costs.

"So this 'Captain Pierce' and his 'Federation' are going to help the human race rebuild their world?"

There was a bit of disbelief in his voice. He frowned. Humans hadn't received help in any form after the destruction of their world. Sympathizing with humans was calling for the wrath of the Drej. But with the Drej gone, so was the threat of the Drej mothership, the _Alahenena_; the destroyer of worlds.

"It's happening as we speak father."

Kero made sure to lay some strength in his voice. He was afraid his father wouldn't take the whole thing serious. But the people of New Earth were depending on him and he had to try.

"And they're from another universe where… How was that planet called again?"

"Earth."

"Right, Earth. Where Earth hasn't been destroyed?"

"Yes, the humans want to ally themselves with other species to counter the Machines' efforts to take over our galaxy. I made a promise to ask you, father."

"I think I've got an idea of what you've been through my son." Zahn sighed. "But I think it might be too early to draw conclusions. We've lost three ships so far including yours but that's not a direct reason to drag our forces to the battlefront and throw ourselves into an intergalactic war. Besides, the Empire has a strong military presence in this sector; we can handle the issue without help."

"But father-"

"I'm sorry my son, but I cannot risk the lives of our soldiers based on assumptions, as you will understand."

Suddenly Zahn felt the tick of a sharp claw on his shoulder. Turning around to face the owner he looked directly into the hard eyes of his wife. The look on The'lah's face spoke for itself, she obviously didn't agree with him on the matter. The tone of her voice was gentle in an exaggerated way.

"Zahn dear, can I have a word with you for a moment?"

"Sorry hon'. I'm trying to explain Kero why I-"

"_Now_."

Had she seemed real sweet just a moment ago, The'lah now sounded really harsh. Dragged her mate with her on his arm, she made sure they were out of her son's hearing range. Kero's ears sagged and his tail dropped to the ground with a soft thump. "He never listens to me. He's too stubborn." He had the feeling this would happen the moment he brought it up. His father was always so sure of himself. Of course he had to be confident. He was the ruler of an Empire but he always provided him with so little room to maneuver. Stith however smiled and pointed at his parents.

"Don't be so sure of that, look."

"Zahn, for one time listen to somebody else but yourself for a chance! You're not even listening to your own son! Sometimes I don't understand why you even _have_ advisors!"

"But honey I-"

"Your son comes home, for Kirliya's sake he narrowly escaped death, and he tries to warn you. He even has a simple solution but no, daddy will handle it. But I say, _listen, to, your, son_."

Poking in his chest with her clawed finger to add more strength to her words, her husband did a step back. He looked back at her with eyes that had grown to two times their normal size, completely overwhelmed by her sudden outburst. She almost scared him, her arms crossed, lashing her tail, her eyes flickering. The thing he loved about her -her strong will- was his greatest enemy in a debate. He was the most powerful Mantrin in the entire Empire but at moments like these, his own mate was a little too much to handle. He had a hard time recognizing the sweet Goureg Mantrinesse he married. He slowly breathed out, blinking a few times to convince himself this was still her.

"I didn't know you could be so fierce."

"Well you better believe it. The Imperial Guard was my home once too, remember? Your son has grown up. I think he's sensible enough to decide the right course of action. I personally think he's right about this issue. You should give him a chance."

"I guess there's nothing wrong with sending an ambassador to speak for the Empire to the human world," Zahn replied carefully.

"Now that's a good father."

She flashed him a fake smile which didn't leave room for any further objections and walked back to Kero and Stith without checking if her mate followed her.

Stith and Kero were fraternizing in the shade of a tree. Zahn heaved a sigh.

"I've had a word with your mother," Zahn said a bit hesitantly but under the pressure of his wife, ", and she and I both agree that sending a delegation of our own to New Earth might be a good idea."

Kero's ears jumped.

"Thank you father."

"Your mother and I are returning to the palace. There's one more thing however. I'm sorry son but I can't deviate from traditions. And those traditions say that a Captain must either die honorably with his ship or regain his lost honor by doing something for the Empire. There'll be an official meeting with the Imperial High Command to discuss the terms and you'll be given a new ship to perform your duties. I must warn you. It's not gonna be easy or without danger. The question I wanna ask you is: Do you accept these terms? It will make things a lot easier for you and me."

Kero looked his father in the eyes, made himself look even taller than he already was and gathered all of his confidence.

"Father, I will accept these terms and return to duty. If an opportunity presents itself to regain my honor I will take it with great rewarding even if it means that I have to die."

Zahn smiled bitterly.

"I'll arrange something with the Imperial Guard for tomorrow." He paused. "Stith, it's an honor to meet you and I'm grateful for what you've done for my son."

"That makes two of us," The'lah added, giving Stith a warm smile.

Stith smiled back a little shyly.

"The honor's mine. I love taking care of this little boy."

Kero flattened an ear and frowned.

"Little?"

His father grinned.

"You're free to do whatever you want. If you need something, just call for a servant. We'll see you at dinner."

The Emperor and his wife returned to the palace leaving Stith and Kero behind.

"So what do you wanna do next?" Kero asked excitedly. "There's so much I wanna show you. We can go to the city if you like?"

"Tomorrow maybe, it's a little late for that don't you think?"

"Then we go back. You still need a place to sleep." His eyes suddenly caught the two high yield blasters in the holsters on her hips. "Do you really need to keep carrying those around?"

It wasn't uncommon for Mantrins to carry weapons. Most of them had a trusted personal side arm they took with them wherever they went, in Stith's case, her pair of blasters. Here at the palace however, she wouldn't need them for sure. But she tapped on her favorite weapons and merely smiled.

"You'll never know." She started following the Emperor's footsteps when something got on her mind. "Kero, your family is from the Goureg race right?"

"Yeah, how so?"

"Well your brother seems a little different from you and your parents. What's with his skin?"

"Hmm, he rather not discusses it with outsiders but the truth is: Rajah has a rare abnormality in the pigment cells of his skin. Therefore his skin is a much darker, almost black tint."

"Strange," Stith replied with a frown. "If you ask me it kinda fits his personality."

"He hasn't always been this way," Kero said sadly. "Not to me at least."

Becoming a warrior wasn't easy and it wasn't something you just did. It was in your blood or it was not. But it took years of extensive training to master the art of fighting, to become an elite. A master warrior capable of completing any mission, alone or in a team, using any weapon or just the strength of the body itself. Rajah was a warrior and proud to be. He gazed into the distance between the two ridges that enclosed the valley in which the city was located, leaning on his strong arms on the stone railing of the balcony adjacent to the throne hall. The sun had already passed its highest point, its warming rays touching his unusually dark almost black skin which was very uncommon for Gouregs. He tried to force himself to calm down. To control his growing annoyance over the fact that his brother returned. Closing his characteristic bright blue eyes he took a deep breath, inhaling Sogowa's pure air through his nose and let it escape through his mouth, listening to the restful sounds of nature around him. In and out, slowly like he taught himself. It was a simple breathing exercise to clear the mind and focus on the important things.

It didn't work. The longer he stood there trying to control the anger he felt boiling up in his chest, the worse it got. Until the point that a frustrated growl escaped his throat and his massive fist landed on the stone railing with an audible bang. The pain wasn't enough to drive away the anger he felt toward his brother. That always present innocent smile of his was starting to become pretty darn annoying. _What an idiot. How can he be so blind?_ Nothing made sense to the younger Prince at the moment. The longer he thought about it, the more he began to realize that he should've be the one to lead the Empire. Why was he the younger one? His brother had no idea of his heritage. No idea of the true power he possessed once father was no longer able to perform his duties. He needed a slap in his face. He had to wake up from his dream. He would eventually become the ruler of one of the most powerful Empires ever known to exist. As his brother he felt the commitment to do it. Snorting derisively, he left off in search for his brother. If he was destined to lead the Empire, he had to prove himself worthy.

When Kero and Stith returned to the palace he led her to a large guest room where she could sleep for the time being. It had everything a Mantrin needed including a few exotic extras. It was large, as common for their race and quite luxury, as suited for someone important enough to spend the night in the palace of the Emperor.

"Whadda ya think?"

He carefully stuck his head around the corner of the door opening. Stith stood in the middle of the room next to the bed of impressive size. It required a lot of room for a Mantrin to lie down on a bed and find a comfortable position for the rest of the night but this bed would do the job just fine.

"Oh, I can get used to his," she replied with a laugh.

She let herself fall down on the bed, only to become overwhelmed by its softness, like the bed was inviting her to take a nap. An older servant appeared, bowing slightly for them to show respect.

"If there's something not according to your wishes I'm pretty sure it can be arranged m'lady," he asked very politely.

Although he looked older than most Mantrins she had seen so far, he was still large, well muscled and didn't show many signs of ageing. She waved away his question with one hand.

"No, no everything's perfectly fine."

"Then if there's nothing else?"

"You may go," Kero replied in a friendly manor.

The servant disappeared and left the two alone in the quietness of the room. It perfectly met Stith's wishes for a nice holiday and she was already enjoying her staying here, especially when Kero joined her.

Later that day they stood on the large balcony adjacent to the throne hall, admiring the view of the city in front of them. The sun was slowly going under, its last warming rays touching their skin. A light breeze cooled things off a bit but it wasn't enough to be uncomfortably cool. Sogowa was a beautiful world, one could only admire more the longer one stayed. Savoring the moment, Stith took a deep breath, slowly letting the air out through her mouth.

"I understand why you love all this. It's so pretty."

Staring into the distance, her thoughts drifted off to Solbrecht. Why her real parents never stayed here, on their own world, among members of their kind only she didn't understand in the least. Of course she didn't know better at that time but she never had the chance to ask.

"You've said that before."

She looked up at him and he smiled playfully.

"I had to experience it first."

She stepped up closer to him and rested her head on his broad chest while he held her in his large strong arms.

"Someday you'll call this home too."

He gently caressed the edges of her ears. They were very sensitive to touch and she couldn't help but purr when his soft warm hand made contact. It was something only family and close friends were allowed to do. _He's sweet._ She loved the way he held her in his arms. Their upper sets of knees touched each other because of the unusual shape of their legs that couldn't be found anywhere else in the galaxy. There was nothing but truth in his words. Ever since she joined Korso's crew, the _Valkyrie_ had become her home. But it wasn't a real home. If she had to decide where to settle for the rest of her life -and that choice was entirely hers- this would be it.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't our Crown Prince and his new girlfriend."

The annoying tone of the voice broke through the silence and completely ruined their moment together. Kero didn't need to look to see that it was his brother Rajah who stepped on the balcony with his arms crossed. He knew his brother well enough to know he had been watching all the time.

"Rajah, what do you want?"

He released Stith and shot his brother an annoyed glance. Rajah snickered and shook his head.

"Oh, you know _exactly_ what I want." His voice was nothing more than a throaty purr. If he had a choice, he would have walked away. But Kero already knew his brother wouldn't let him go so easily this time so he decided to stand up to him. He was growing tired of the constant arguing whenever he ran into him and didn't want to continue this pointless fight anymore. Rajah however had his own agenda and just leaving wasn't part of it. In fact, he spread his legs and assumed a stronger position, lashing his tail in a threatening way. The grin on his face, revealing sharp teeth had something vicious but he let out a laugh. "The presumed lost Prince suddenly miraculously returns to reclaim the throne in his honor and with news that would save the Empire from its destruction. It's so brilliant; I could have made it up myself."

"You're imagining things Rajah. I know what I saw. I was there."

"Oh, now I'm imagining things. I know exactly what's going on in that head of yours Kero. You're already seeing yourself sitting on father's throne, being a good Emperor. But you're forgetting one thing. You couldn't even prevent your own ship from being destroyed. How's this Empire going to survive under your rule?"

Stith couldn't stop grinding her teeth the moment Rajah started talking. She knew for certain that she didn't like the other Prince. If arrogance was a person he would be it. Her good mood was instantly gone and making this guy shut his beak had become top priority.

"Shaddup scarface! Who're you to judge him?"

Kero however held her at a distance. Placing his leg between her and his brother he gently pushed her back.

"Stith, I have to do this myself."

"Yeah precious, stay out of this. This is our fight."

"Now wait a sec. I'm not letting a fool like you tell me what to do," she barked.

"Ooohh, she's got spirit!" Rajah laughed. "Maybe you should let her fight for you Kero. At least it'd be more even."

Kero knew his brother tried to provoke him into doing something he might regret later on. He felt the anger, it was beginning to show itself through the expression on his face but he didn't want to. He had to be stronger than his brother. Rajah made it extremely difficult for him to control his anger. But giving in to it would only make things worse, so he bit his teeth instead and grumbled.

"This is all about the throne, isn't it Rajah? You're angry about my return. You're angry because I'm still next in line to become Emperor."

Rajah however remained surprisingly calm about it. He snickered again and simply shook his head.

"Not at all brother but I think someone who's about to rule an Empire must show that he's prepared to fight for it. To defend it against everything, no matter what. C'mon, show me what you've got."

Balling his enormous fists, he growled aggressively, the edges of his beak curving into a malicious grin. Kero however shook his head and took a step back to make it clear.

"I'm not gonna fight you brother," he said pointedly.

"I will!"

Stith did a step forward, moving toward Rajah, her eyes narrowed to slits. However Kero used his considerable strength to hold her back.

"No Stith, there's not gonna be a fight today."

Rajah made a disappointed sound.

"You know what Kero? I'm in a good mood; I'll let you have the first punch." He pointed at his left cheek. "C'mon, hit me!"

"No!"

"I knew it! You're weak! It would be father's undoing to give you the title of Emperor! You'll only lead it to its definitive end!"

Kero was now really getting angry. He never lost his temper, despite his species being famous for it, but now Rajah seemed to have done it. Stepping toward his brother to make it clear he raised his already powerful voice, his balled right fist shaking.

"You know what brother? With you it's always been power! You don't care about anything else!"

"Of course not!" Rajah exploded. His scarred face was now a grimace of anger and both his fists were shaking. He was trying to withhold himself from using them but the way his brother talked about something so important, something only given to _him_, a destiny worth more than anything, fueled him with rage. "There's only power!" Rajah shouted back. "And there're the people strong enough to take advantage of it! Can't you see that? You'll become the ruler of the greatest Empire in existence. It is your destiny and you don't seem to give a damn!"

"Father would be foolish to give the title to someone like you! You would only lead the Empire and all of its inhabitants to their deaths! He's better off dead then to die of old age watching you destroy everything he has accomplished!"

_**Authors note: Music track 9 (Blessid Union of Souls – Brother My Brother)**_

Kero could almost _hear_ something snap inside his brother. He was so overwhelmed by what he just said that he didn't saw the fist coming until he felt the first blow against his cheek. His brother's claws cut his skin, blood oozing from the wounds as he crashed to the tiled floor.

"Why Rajah?"

Clenching his teeth in pain, he growled when Rajah's foot made contact with his ribs. He could hear the breaking of bones, the pain shooting up through the entire mid section of his body. He stood up, trying to defend himself but his brother, a member of the Elite Assault Force, was a master in hand-to-hand combat. He barely stood on his feet, the pain in his ribs too much, when he felt another blow to the other side of his face and another one and another one. Trying to protect his broken ribs with his right arm he fell on his lower set of knees, trying to support his body with his other arm. An iron-like taste filled his mouth when he coughed, saliva mixed with blood dripping from his beak. A palace guard arrived to see what was happening and was shocked to find the Emperor's sons fighting. Stith couldn't watch. Her friend was in pain and he was losing this fight but she was held back by the guard. He firmly tapped his energy lance on the ground to get their attention and raised his voice.

"Young Princes what are you doing?"

"Stand down!" Rajah yelled, insane with rage. "My brother needs to be taught a lesson!"

Grabbing Kero by his uniform shirt he dragged him to the edge of the balcony. Roughly pulling him back on his feet he slammed him with his back against the stone railing. Rajah was slightly smaller than him but Kero was overwhelmed by the strength of his younger brother. His heavily muscled arms seemed to have no trouble tossing him around despite his considerable weight. "No!" Stith yelled, in fear for his life.

"We gotta do something!" she grumbled.

The guard however shook his head and held her back.

"We do not intervene. This is a fight between them."

Kero hung with his head over the edge, looking into the murderous triangular eyes of his brother only to see something close to hatred. _What has gotten in to him? _He hardly recognized his brother. They used to play together, in the gardens around the palace, in the forests around the city. _What happened to you Rajah?_

"You're right, too easy!" He added a low aggressive growl, pulled him up by his shirt and aggressively slammed him with his sore back against one of the stone columns at the side of the throne hall. Kero yelled in pain and all Stith could do was watch. She didn't want to look anymore. She had such pity on him. He was such a sweet guy. Rajah's face was now so close to Kero's that the tips of their muzzles almost touched each other. "You know what I hate most about you Kero? That you won't even fight back! I can beat you up all day without receiving just a single punch! I'm sick of it! And that dares to call himself a warrior!"

Grabbing his brother's throat in a lethal grip he began to squeeze. Kero grabbed his arm with both of his but his considerable strength faded away rapidly. Rajah had beaten him up severely. He was barely able to breathe.

"I have no desire to fight you brother," he groaned. "I can only hope you'll understand one day."

"Weakling!" the black Mantrin spat venomously. He tossed his older brother on the tiled floor almost effortlessly and pulled one of his vibro-blades. Kero released a scream when his beaten body made contact with the hard stone, feeling like someone was cutting into his waist with a knife. Rajah activated the blade, the high frequency humming vibrating against his eardrums. The blade could just as easily cut through butter as through steel. Kero was helpless. Even if he had been able to stand up, his brother pinned him down with a knee on his chest. He viciously held the weapon against his throat. The knife drew blood even though he didn't press through yet. "I hoped a few years of military service would help chance your attitude but I was mistaken," Rajah growled viciously. "You're obviously not fit for the job. Farewell brother."

At the last moment his arm holding the knife was grabbed by Stith. Bowing it away she slammed her fist against the left side of his face. It forced him to drop the knife, which clanged on the floor. He obviously didn't expect her sudden move. An enormous kick from her right leg made him fly half a meter through the air. He crashed to the floor with an aggressive growl of pain, a couple of ugly curses leaving his beak. If his mother would have been able to hear it she would have taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget soon. A few seconds later he felt the tip of an energy lance on his chest on the place between both his hearts. Stith was the one towering above him, anger flickering dangerously in her copper-colored eyes, holding the ceremonial weapon in a threatening way.

"You might wanna know that I'm good with any weapon and I'm not afraid to activate this one."

Rajah looked up fearlessly at the Sogowan Mantrinesse. In fact, he smirked and snickered. From the look on her face though, he could tell she wasn't bluffing. He spat on the floor next to him and wiped a trickle of blood from his beak with his sleeve.

"You're a real fighter aren't you? Now tell me, what do you see in this fool?"

"To answer your first question, yes I'm a fighter and I particularly like teaching self-righteous creeps like you a lesson."

Unexpectedly and with a lightning fast stroke Rajah slapped the energy lance out of her hands. But no matter how fast he was he couldn't evade her fist when he tried to get on his feet again. Stith's large clawed fist struck him right in the middle of his face. The blow knocked him back to the floor where he came from. He yelled and held his nose with both hands, blood trickling through his fingers on the white tiles.

"Aargh, my nose! She broke my nose!" He stood up quickly, collected the knife and deactivated the weapon. Sliding it back in the sheath around his leg, he vainly tried to stop the bleeding, shooting Stith and Kero a dangerous look. "You're lucky today brother. You won't be so fortunate next time."

Stumbling away he left behind a trail of blood. Now that the danger had passed Stith could finally turn her attention to her wounded friend. He was still lying on his back clenching his teeth against the pain. It had to be hard for him both physically and mentally to be beaten up by his own brother like this. For a moment they looked like mortal enemies. The guard dropped beside the Prince, trying to help him.

"Oh Kero," Stith said sadly.

She sunk on her knees beside him touching her hand to his sore cheek, careful not to hurt him even more. To see him like this sparked her pity and why he deserved to be beaten up like that was a riddle to her. He hadn't even fought back.

"You shouldn't have intervened," he said dryly, still trying to smile.

"I couldn't just stand there doing nothing while he was about to kill you!"

"But I'm glad you did."

Forcing a smile on his face he tried to get up but fell back with a growl. His back hurt like hell and he had a broken rib or two. His cheek bled and a slight dark discoloration started to appear around his left eye. Nothing a doctor couldn't fix but then he had to get there first.

"We need to get you to a doctor."

She tried to help him sit but he gently pushed her arm away, trying to get back on his feet by himself.

"No, no, I'm fine. I think I can…"

The last part of sentence ended in a low growl. The pain forced him to cease his attempts to get up.

"No offence friend, but you look like hell."

The guard was a cross between a Sogowan and another race judging by the color of his skin and patterns on his back and hips. Kero didn't recognize him but guards came and left regularly after a few months of service and it had been some time since he came home.

"None taken. Maybe you guys are right," Kero replied through clenched teeth.

After collecting his lance, Rajah had slammed away, the guard grabbed Kero under his arm.

"I guess we have to do this the old-fashioned way," Stith said when she realized what he was up to. "Put your arm around my neck and lean on me."

Piece by piece he stood up, using the shoulders of Stith and the guard as support. When he finally stood, they began to walk slowly.

"Thanks pal," Kero panted, moving his legs in unison with those of Stith and the guard.

"Jola's the name," the crossbreed Mantrin replied with a wink.


	15. Chapter 13 Call of Duty

**Call of Duty**

* * *

The palace' physician was an older Orketh Mantrin named Che'kan, slightly larger than average for his race but smaller then Stith and Kero. The colors of his chestnut-colored skin with black stripes on his back and hips were a bit faded. He was shocked when the wounded oldest son of the Emperor entered his infirmary, supported by Jola and Stith. Hopping off the chair he occupied, he sped toward them, leaving his work for what it was.

"Prince Kero, what happened to you? Your brother Rajah was here a few minutes ago with a broken nose. He said it was nothing and didn't wanna tell what happened. He didn't even let me take proper care of his injuries; just took a portable regenerator and left. Lay down on the first bed please."

While Che'kan made preparations for the treatment of Kero's visible injuries, Stith and Jola softly laid the Prince on the bed. Clenching his teeth Kero tried to find a comfortable position and spare his aching back. His massive legs were dangling over the edge of the bed, his feet still touching the ground. Jola smiled and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'll take my leave of you now young Prince. I'm confident you'll be ready to return to the field of battle by the end of the day."

"No thanks," he groaned softly. "I'll skip the battle part and the name's Kero."

"As you wish, Kero."

Jola tossed one last look over his shoulder when he left, lance in hand, ready to resume his watch. In the mean time the doctor had gathered his equipment and mumbled something indistinct.

"Let's see what we have here," he muttered under his breath. Using a scanner he first made a full bio scan of Kero's body to assess the damage. "Hmm, the exterior damage is easy to repair but the interior…"

Stith flattened an ear and frowned.

"You're not gonna tell me that you can't heal a broken bone?"

"Oh I can heal any injury, but two broken ribs will take some time to regenerate."

Kero looked at Stith.

"I wouldn't blame you if you don't wanna wait for me."

"Are you crazy? Time to get to know each other better and I'll promise I'll enjoy every minute of it."

He smiled gratefully, grabbing her hand and squeezing softly, like a young child being afraid of the doctor. But she knew he was just glad she wanted to stay with him.

"First, we need to get you out of that uniform."

Che'kan pulled Kero's right arm up in an elegant way, for a second forgetting about his broken ribs a couple of inches lower.

"Could you please be more careful?" Kero replied with a high-pitched voice between his teeth. "It really hurts!"

Bringing his face close to Kero's, Che'kan frowned.

"You call yourself a warrior? Come on." With Stith's help he removed Kero's uniform shirt to expose the upper part of his muscular body. He then brought the bone regenerator into position next to his ribs and turned on the device to start the regeneration process. The bright blue beam replaced damaged bone tissue with new quite rapidly. Meanwhile he treated Kero's wounds with the tissue-regenerator. "That should do it." He slipped the device in the pocket of his coat. "I'll be doing some work in the meantime. I'll check up on you in one hour. Feel free to exchange some thoughts. I promise I won't be eves-dropping."

Che'kan partially closing the white curtains surrounding the bed and left. Stith and Kero both remained silent for a short moment.

"What do you wanna talk about?"

"I wanna know more about you." She sunk on her knees beside the bed and leaned closer to him watching his chest rise and fall with the rhythm of his breathing. "Your career, your personal life."

He smiled.

"I was just a fresh young recruit when I graduated from the Academy. I worked myself up in quite a short time until I got my own command. I still think my father was responsible for that but when I ask him he always changes the subject." Kero shook his head. "Anyway, my ship was not very large or heavily armed but she was fast and agile. We were a small crew so we were closely-knit together." He sighed. "I lost a lot of good friends. I won't forget them."

His ears drooped down on the pillow and the expression on his face turned sad. He felt a hand on the exposed skin of his shoulder.

"They died with honor Kero. They won't be forgotten."

"What about you? What made you leave the Imperial Guard?" he asked curiously.

Stith never told him the actual reason she resigned. The Imperial Guard paid well enough and most warriors devoted their life to it so there had to be another reason.

"Let's just say I was a young overexcited Lieutenant who had a little trouble following orders," Stith said in an amused way. "But that's what _he_ said of course."

"Who?"

"My former CO was a complete jerk. Arrogant little trash. Never listened to anyone but himself." She looked up at the ceiling. "If I see that selfish little face of him again I'm more than happy to arrange a makeover. We argued on a daily basis. He never agreed with me or anyone else for a change. I think I he just liked to keep us small. So I resigned my commission and began my own weapons shop on Solbrecht."

"Why didn't you just request a transfer?"

"I grew tired of following orders. He ruined my reputation anyway and who wants a rebellious officer on the ship? I quit." She chuckled. "And now I'm following orders again, on Korso's ship. Not that I had much of a choice."

"I never had problems with my former CO."

"And why would that be?"

Ignoring the sarcasm in her voice he smiled. Suddenly his stomach started rumbling in protest.

"I'm getting pretty hungry you know. No way we're gonna skip dinner. We've got things here on Sogowa you must try at least once."

The combination of his empty stomach and the thought of food alone made his mouth water.

"I'll let you keep that promise," she laughed.

A small hour and a lot of useful and useless chatter later, Stith and Kero went back to the throne hall with the idea to have dinner with the rest of Kero's family. However Zahn was standing there with his arms crossed and a gruff expression on his face. He didn't look particularly happy and the reason wasn't very hard to guess.

"Something tells me your dad knows," Stith whispered.

"Kero, I wanna know exactly what happened," Zahn said without looking at the two.

His voice sounded harsh. Still controlled but he was angry for certain. Kero approached his father with caution. He probably wasn't too happy that one of his sons tried to kill the other when he wasn't paying attention.

"Well, father… I… I eh…"

"There's no need to lie or try to cover up what happened." There was an undertone of disappointment in his voice and Kero knew what that meant. "Che'kan was here a few minutes ago telling me about your injuries. And don't tell me you've had a play with a _Hock'tho_ in the forest because you haven't been there since you were about this size."

Holding his hand about a meter above the floor, he still didn't look at him directly. His father was referring to an animal originally native to Mantra which they brought here after the disaster that ruined the planet's ecosystem. The creature looked more or less like a bear, with extremely large teeth and claws. Although they didn't really eat Mantrins for dinner, they could severely injure anyone who stood between them and their prey.

"Father, Rajah and I had an argument and, it ran out of control."

"Out of control…" Zahn mumbled, staring at the balcony adjacent to the throne hall. "Can you be more precise, son?"

His eyes suddenly flashed in their direction, glittering with restrained anger.

"Yes father, we had a fight and we got injured and-"

"Oh please!" Stith interrupted. Even after Rajah tried to kill him he was still defending his brother but it had gone a little too far in her opinion. "My lord, when the argument spun out of control Rajah beat him up and nearly slit his throat."

Zahn remained silent and so was Kero, hesitant to say anything at all. He knew his father was very disappointed to say the least. He stood there with his giant figure without making a single sound. Just staring outside to the sun which started its descent in between the hills of the valley. Kero wished he would say something, or yell or get mad. The latter eventually happened but it wasn't directed at him.

"Rajah!" he shouted, his voice bellowing through the throne hall like the mighty roar of a lion. Rajah slowly walked in from the other side, carefully observing what he was up against. His father looked rather angry and that couldn't be a good sign. "Is it true that you beat up your brother because of an exchange of words?"

Zahn approached him, his steps threatening, his tail lashing dangerously. His youngest son did a tiny step back but was quickly nailed to his spot.

"Father I-"

"Is it true that you put your knife against his throat?" Rajah didn't reply. He was just stood there, looking at his big three-toed feet, unable to answer his father's question. His father would see right through a lie but if he told him the truth he would be furious anyway. "Answer me!" Zahn's powerful voice pounded through the room.

The Emperor towered above his son, making him shiver with fear. Rajah fell on his first set of knees, nearly begging for forgiveness. The tough warrior from earlier that day was now a frightened boy. He was so different now and for a moment Stith felt sorry for him.

"Father, I… I couldn't control myself. I got so mad. I-I almost…"

Rajah was crying now. Kero couldn't determine if his tears were genuine but he couldn't help but have pity on him. Rajah looked up at his father. He stared down at his son with eyes that would have scared the hell out of anyone.

"He is your brother!" he roared.

Rajah's head was knocked to the side when the back of his father's massive hand made contact with his cheek. Kero had never seen his father this angry before. Rajah crashed to the floor, using his arm to catch his fall.

"I'm so sorry father," he sobbed. "Please, forgive me."

Most of the anger disappeared from Zahn's face. Biting his teeth, he let go of a sigh. Pulling his son back on his feet he pulled him tightly against his chest.

"Control yourself Rajah!" he hissed. "Do you know what it'll cost me if you kill someone on the street for not agreeing with you?"

"I'll try father," Rajah sobbed.

"Don't try! Just do it!"

"I will father. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me; your brother is standing over there!"

Rajah looked up from his father's shoulder and walked over to his brother and a suspiciously looking Stith. She still didn't know what to think of him but her instincts told her that he couldn't really hate his brother. From what Kero told her, they had been the best of friends when they were young and puberty couldn't destroy that bond so easily.

"Kero, I'm really sorry for what happened," he said softly, staring at the ground. The tough Mantrin with the scarred face looked a whole lot different right now. Now he looked more like Kero's younger brother instead of the tough warrior Stith met earlier. "I'm having trouble controlling myself recently. I only hope you can forgive me for what I did to you."

He was more talking to the ground then to his brother. Kero wasn't angry at all. His whole face had been compassion since his father had beaten him.

"Oh, come here you little hothead." Finally the two brothers embraced each other and Kero could feel that his brother was truly sorry for what he had done. Patting him on the back he calmed him down with a few comforting words. "Your puberty is just a bit longer than usual; it's not uncommon for us Mantrins. Don't be afraid brother. I still love you. I can't hate you for what you are."

A soft 'thank you' was al Rajah said.

"Now that's more like it, don't you think Stith?" Zahn asked on a jovial tone, placing his massive hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, my lord," Stith replied, not knowing what else to say.

She couldn't really get used to the Emperor treating her like an equal.

"Neah, call me Zahn. I was never really fond of that title anyway; just seeing it as part of the job." He gave her a sharp-toothed grin. "You can also call me 'dad' if you prefer?"

His grin became even wider.

"Okay, dad," Stith said with a laugh.

Suddenly Kero remembered something he wanted to ask his father. All he needed was that one hour on the sickbay bed to make the decision. When his brother and he released each other he asked his father a question he never expected to ask.

"Father, is it possible to renounce my claim on the throne and pass it on to a younger relative?"

Zahn didn't believe his ears. He had to keep his jaw from falling to the floor. His oldest son wasn't a standard caliber Mantrin but still. Stith's beak dropped open for a second and so did Rajah's. He couldn't believe what his brother just said. After all he had done to him, Kero was planning to pass his title of Emperor to him? Rajah realized he couldn't have been more wrong about his own brother.

"Do you realize that what you're saying has never been done before Kero? The traditions clearly state that the oldest descendant of the Emperor is the rightful heir of the throne unless his ability to rule is compromised by illness, physical disorders, mental instability or crime. As far as I know, you don't fall into any of these categories."

"With all due respect father, there isn't a rule that says I can't renounce."

Zahn sighed, not really having an answer at the moment.

"Hmm, you may have a point my son. Since tomorrow will be an important day, I'll check it up with tradition and if there's no rule that contradicts what you're saying, then you're free to do as you want. But I'm warning you Kero. Disclaiming your heritage would be a permanent decision. Your brother Rajah will be the ruler of the Empire till his death."

Kero nodded.

"I understand father."

Rajah looked at him, regret dripping from his face. Kero's words made him wish he could just sink through the floor and disappear.

"By Kirliya, I misjudged you so terribly. How can you do that after what I did to you? I don't even deserve it."

"It's okay Rajah. I've always noticed you wanted to rule so badly and that you were unhappy to be the youngest. I don't care which one of us becomes Emperor. Not as long as all Mantrins can live a healthy and peaceful life. Tomorrow you will be the heir of the throne." Kero placed his large clawed hands on his brother's shoulders and looked deeply into his eyes that closely resembled his own. "Be a good ruler Rajah. I know you can do it. May Kirliya enlighten your path."

"Be strong brother. May Kirliya help you to regain your honor."

They lightly touched their beaks to each other. Kero gave his brother a light rub between his ears. Rajah laughed when he heard his brother's stomach rumble. Kero rubbed his belly.

"My apologies father. My stomach is a bit 'empty' if I may say so."

"No apologies for you my son," Zahn laughed. "You're not the only one."

"You can't fight your enemies on an empty stomach," Rajah remarked following his father to the dining room.

They couldn't do anything but agree with that.

It was a clear and muggy evening on Sogowa. The moons had started their journey upwards and a lone female Mantrin of the Sogowan race watched them climb. The city of Ta'keth in front of her was a sea of lights. The combined light of the two moons and the city illuminated her face and reflected in her copper-colored eyes. That was until a larger male Mantrin of the Goureg race joined her and started a conversation.

"It really is beautiful isn't it?"

"Just as I imagined when you first told me about it." Kero flung his arm around Stith's shoulders. "What a first day," Stith sighed.

"Yeah, I expected it to be a little less hectic. I'm glad everything's all right now." "Well maybe not everything," he added after a slight moment.

"You'll be fine."

They both remained silent for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of nature and the city below. Sogowa was so different from Solbrecht in many ways. Just the way her people here lived their lives, peaceful, healthy. _Why would anyone wanna leave this place?_

_**Authors note: Music track 10 (Phil Collins – True Colors)**_

"I-" they both suddenly said.

"You first."

"No you first," Stith insisted, smirking.

"You have to know Stith, that I really love these conversations with you. I've never met someone who understood me so well, sometimes better then myself I think."

"And?" she urged.

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"I don't know the best way to say this but I'm gonna ask it anyway so here it comes. Stith, do you find me attractive?"

Stith wasn't really surprised. She had spent so much time with him the last few days. It was a question that just had to be asked. But she didn't know what to answer. Yes, she was attracted to him and had asked herself a thousand times if it wasn't just the excitement of having another Mantrin aboard the ship. But he was special. Special in many ways but she didn't quite knew how to answer this single question.

"Well, I eh-"

"I know! I know! Stupid question!"

He slapped himself on the forehead.

"No Kero, not at all."

"You don't find me attractive at all?" He sounded both surprised and indignant.

"No! No! I mean, it's not a stupid question. In fact I was about to ask you the same thing."

Kero calmed down now, glad he didn't completely embarrass himself by asking.

"And, what do you think?" he asked his feet.

"Being completely honest, I eh… I liked you from the moment we first met. Even before I knew who you really were. But when I started spending more and more time with you the more I was certain. I love you. I love your personality, the way you look. I love you because of the way you are."

"Well eh, I like you. And I think I love you too. At first I thought you were just another girl but when we started talking I couldn't get enough of you. In that hard exterior shell of yours resides a sweet girl that needs love just like anyone else."

"Well thanks, I think," she replied hesitantly, unsure if it was a complement.

"I know, I'm so clumsy with words related to these matters."

She had to laugh.

"I think you're cute."

Her words caused him to blush a bit. She was now standing in front of him, their eyes locked together. Doing a step closer between his massive legs she rested her head on his massive barrel chest. His warm muscular arms surrounded her protectively. She enjoyed it and he enjoyed it even more when she began to playfully bite him in his neck. He purred softly, his tail shivering with pleasure. Hers did the same when he returned the favor. But suddenly Kero's thoughts began to drift away, rather unpleasant things that could happen clouding his mind. He released her as if he just made a mistake.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just… Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves? Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

She flicked an ear and snorted.

"Kero, what're you talking about? D'you think we're moving too fast or is this another one of your peculiar improbabilities?"

Crossing her arms she tapped with her clawed foot on the floor, her eyes narrowing.

"No, this isn't about you Stith, but we might have a war on our hands. One of us could get killed and the other would be devastated if that happens. By the way, I'm going back into space in less than a week for a new assignment aboard a new ship that is probably getting into the middle of this crisis." His eyes stood very serious now, his thick muscular tail nervously whipping from one side to the other. "I don't wanna lose you. Not now I finally found someone I truly care about."

"I knew it!" Stith exclaimed, stamping her foot in annoyance. She couldn't believe he was starting this all over again. He really had a problem with his nerves. "Kero, you've got the wildest imagination of anyone I've ever met. You really gotta lose that strange attitude of yours." She placed both her hands on his broad shoulders, her own stare piercing in his bright blue eyes. "This is the last time I'm gonna say this. Stop bothering! It's not good for you!" Her expression softened. "Now do you want a relationship with me or not? Cause if not, I'm leaving first thing tomorrow."

He smiled. He didn't really want to quit this now. He loved her too much.

"There's nothing I'd love more than that."

She answered his smile and they locked together in a long passionate cuddle. He softly caressed the edges of her sensitive ears, which made her purr long and deep within her throat. Gently rubbing her beak against the underside of his, she nuzzled in his neck, softly licking. They began to forget everything going on around them and completely went up in the moment.

"D'you know what I think?" Stith whispered in his ear, moving her beak across his face.

"Hmm."

She could hear him purr softly.

"I'm sleeping with you tonight."

"My bed is large enough for both of us," he replied softly, gently licking her cheek which she enjoyed.

At a certain moment a soft shuffling disturbed their intimate moment.

"I don't wanna disturb you two but I'm off for the day," Zahn's friendly voice sounded from behind the columns of the dimly lit throne hall.

"Father!" Kero said indignantly, fearing his father had been spying on them all time, watching them make love.

Showing himself, he laughed and scratched behind his ears.

"Hey, I just happened to pass by. I can't help it that you two happened to be intimate."

"Zahn, leave them alone!"

It was The'lah, hands in her sides, shooting him a warning look.

"But… I was just wishing them good night," Zahn complained.

But before he knew it he was being pulled by his arm and forced to follow her.

"Yeah right. Daddy is just too curious about his son's new girlfriend. Come!"

Kero could still hear his father protest when his parents left the throne hall. His father was fighting a battle he couldn't win. He shook his head.

"Shall we?"

"Fine with me," Stith replied, following him to his bedroom.

If you think a Mantrin single bed is large then try to think of a double bed for the same species. It was huge and standing against the wall in the middle of Kero's bedroom which was large enough to function as a shuttlebay. He even had his own bathroom.

"Spoiled brat," Stith grumbled but not in an unfriendly way.

Kero grinned.

"Now I have to share all of that space. I hope it doesn't get crowded." He slowly began changing his uniform for a light blue pajama's. "If I get annoying tonight, just wake me up."

"I'll remember that," Stith replied with a chuckle, getting undressed herself.

A servant had her stuff brought to Kero's room and left, wishing them both good night. Stith unholstered her blasters, checked the power levels and placed them on the right bedside table.

"In case your dreams get ugly?" Kero laughed.

"Precisely." She smiled and crawled under the blanket on the right side. "Or if one of those nasty machines shows up in the middle of the night, let's say a toaster."

He chuckled. A few minutes and jokes later they both remained silent and gradually fell in a deep satisfied sleep.

"Sir. Sir! Captain, wake up! You're needed on the bridge!"

"What?"

Kero had no idea what was going on. Opening his eyes, he felt dizzy and disoriented and could only vaguely distinguish the contours of a person, a member of his own species. The bed he occupied was not his own and Stith was gone. He wasn't even in the palace anymore.

"Sir, we gotta get moving!" the unknown Mantrin encouraged him again.

"What's going on?" Kero asked with a voice he barely recognized as his own.

"We're under attack. They're here. If we don't do something quick, the Empire will fall."

Very slowly Kero pushed the blanket aside. It vanished into thin air. When he got up he noticed he was already in uniform.

"Why me? Tell me! Why me?"

"Because you're the only one who can save us!"

"No, this can't be happening."

He felt so helpless. _What ship is this anyway? How can I be aboard a ship in the first place?_ This couldn't be happening right now. The last thing he remembered was lying in his own bed, next to Stith, on Sogowa. He was home. The officer stood in a poorly lit area of the room so he couldn't see a face. In fact he couldn't distinguish any color in his silhouette.

"The enemy is closing in on all fronts! We're the last line of defense! You must report to the bridge!"

"All right, all right," Kero heard himself say.

His voice sounded weird. Like it was coming from a distance. He stumbled toward the exit of the quarters, his legs feeling like they were made of rubber. Step by step he dragged himself toward the doors. When he finally reached them they opened automatically. He found himself standing on the bridge of an Imperial warship of unknown design. They were currently in a state of red alert, warning lights blinking on and off. But the most curious about the entire scene was the bridge being crewed by the mere silhouettes of officers. Just black talking shadows that in shape resembled a Mantrin. He slowly walked to the Captain's chair with his rubber legs and when he reached it, one of the shadows suddenly spoke to him.

"Good luck sir, I know you can do it."

The voice sounded diffuse, like it came from a great distance; empty, without real meaning. Quickly after that, the shadow vanished like it was never really there.

"No, you will fail," another one said, before vanishing as well.

"No, you can't just leave!" He tried his best to yell but all that came out of his mouth was barely audible. One by one the shadows spoke and vanished. Sometimes the words were encouraging, sometimes _dis_couraging, maybe even humiliating. The floor under his feet trembled violently. The ship was already under attack and the officers kept vanishing until there was only a single one left. "Please, listen to me!" Kero begged. "A Captain is nothing without his crew. _I_ am nothing without a crew! You can't just leave me here!"

"I'm sorry sir, you have to do this all by yourself."

The ship trembled again, a rain of sparks showering down above the shadow. It seemed untouched by the tiny glowing particles as they fell right through it. He had to keep this one from leaving. But before his hands could reach the black substance it disappeared.

"No! Come back! I can't do this alone!"

A console exploded and the lights flickered. He quickly made his way to the helm station but the controls went offline before he could touch them.

"Computer, status!"

A female computer voice replied.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not allowed to help you."

"By who's authority?"

"That information is classified, security clearance code required."

"What? Computer, I'm the Captain!"

"Command not recognized, please restate question."

"Damn it!" Kero yelled in frustration. Slamming his fist into the console, the panel exploded into a rain of sparks. Something that could only be weapons fire began to tear the ship apart. A support beam came down, the sounds of tearing and screeching metal becoming louder and louder. "No, it's happening again!" The explosions were somehow deafening. Like something exploded in his head instead of the ship. He fell to his first set of knees, grabbed his head and clamped his ears shut but the pain was still unbearable. "Nooo!"

"Kero. Kero!" The voice sounded familiar and drove the explosions to the background, relieving him of his pain. But was it real pain? Suddenly he realized it was only a dream and he woke up just like the first time after his nightmare aboard the _Valkyrie_. Immediately straight up, bathing in his own sweat and panting in fear. "Kero."

Wiping a trickle of sweat off his forehead he looked aside. It was the middle of the night but he could fairly clearly distinguish Stith and the touch of concern on her face. Letting himself fall back on the pillow he closed his eyes for a moment before telling what happened.

"I'm sorry. I had another nightmare."

"You were all shaking and making wild gestures with your arms."

The concern on Stith's face leaked through in her voice. Kero groaned softly, rubbing his eyes with his fists.

"I'm gonna drink some water."

He slowly got up, feeling the cold sweat running down his hind legs as he walked to the adjacent bathroom leaving Stith thinking. _What's bothering him?_ The sound of running water splashing into a sink could be heard from the other side of the room. When it stopped, Kero returned to the bedroom, wiping the drops of water from his beak. His pajama's was covered with tiny wet spots. Sitting down on the edge of the bed he held his head in his large clawed hands. His tail was restlessly shoving over the sheet. Stith leaned on her right arm and looking at his back.

"What's wrong Kero? I'm worried about you."

"I'm having trouble sleeping since Jason told us what's happening to our galaxy. I keep having bad dreams." Moving closer to her friend Stith rested her head on his large muscular shoulder. He looked up, appreciating her care. "I keep seeing myself on the bridge of a starship. We're always under attack. But then suddenly everyone disappears and I have to do everything alone." He looked at her over his shoulder with uncertainty in his bright blue eyes, his ears sagging. "I can't do this alone Stith."

"Of course not Kero. You don't have to do it all by yourself. We all wanna help you. Besides it was just a dream. And shall I tell you something?"

"Hmm?"

She punched with her fist against his left shoulder.

"You're much too tense. That's the reason you can't sleep."

Positioning herself on her first set of knees behind him she began to massage his shoulders with her strong hands.

"Ahh. Ahh that feels good," he panted softly.

The tension left his muscles from the moment she started.

"Now relax and let me handle this," she said with a strong voice.

Working her way upwards from his shoulders to his neck, she heard Kero groan softly.

"You're really good at this."

"Quiet," she grumbled.

"Yes ma'am."

The longer she molded his muscles, the more he relaxed. All the stress and tension from the past few days left his body because of her magical finger work. It was like Kirliya herself was touching his shoulders but he wondered if the First Warrior herself could do the thing Stith was doing right now.

"Done now. How do you feel?"

"Much better, thank you."

He let himself fall back in her lap and purred contentedly. Stith bowed down and rubbed her muzzle against his.

"Hmm, I love you," she said with a warm undertone in her voice.

"Love you too."

When he got up, she placed her body in its original sleeping position. Kero followed her example.

"Sleep well this time," she said, hearing him purr softly in affirmation afterwards.

The sounds of twittering birds, the warm rays of the morning sun entering the room. It was a beautiful morning in the city of Ta'keth and one Mantrin in particular wasn't aware of it yet until he opened his eyes. Kero laid on his side and looked at the wall on the other side of the room when he woke up. Stretching himself out he yawned loudly, rubbing the remaining sleep out of his eyes. Slowly rolling on his back he turned his head into the other direction not expecting to stare straight in two copper-colored eyes that had a friendly twinkle. Leaning on her right arm, a smile played across her lips.

"Morning, sleepyhead."

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing. Just examining my new boyfriend."

"And, did you like what you've seen so far?"

"Maybe," she replied teasingly. She grinned. "Do you always make so much noise when you're asleep?"

"Huh?"

"You were snoring!"

"I was not!" he replied quasi-indignantly.

"Yes you were," she laughed.

"I had a delightful night after what you did to me. I haven't felt that relaxed in weeks."

"You're welcome."

"Oh, important day today. Better take a shower and get dressed quickly."

He jumped out of bed more quickly than one would have expected from him. Stretching his back and legs, he headed for the bathroom first. Stith joined him after a minute. About an hour later they were preparing for the officials of the Imperial High Command that would arrive later that day.

"Will you accept these terms and resume your duties on behalf of the Empire, Prince Kero?"

"I will sir. I respect the traditions and will agree to their terms."

Kero stood in the throne hall together with his father and of course Stith, facing two high-ranking flag officers of the Imperial Guard. He had to find a way to regain his honor for himself and for his House. It was one of the most important things in their society.

"Then you're ordered to return to duty by the end of the week. A ship will be ready by then. I suggest you get acquainted with you new senior staff before going on a new mission." Before he left the Admiral directed his attention to the Emperor himself. "If there's nothing else, my lord?"

"Actually there is. What about the Ikana?"

"She doesn't have a name yet my lord but she will be ready to go in two days."

"And, she doesn't have a Captain yet?"

"Not yet my lord. Do you think your son might be the one to take command?"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. The perfect opportunity for him to regain his honor."

The tone of his voice left no room for opposition.

"It will be arranged my lord," the officer said with a slight bow. Zahn looked at his son.

"I want you to come with me in about an hour Kero. There's something I wanna show you. You are of course free to come with us too, Stith."

"Where are we going father?"

Zahn smiled mysteriously.

"The shipyard. But before we go, there's someone who wants to see you."

Kero already knew who his father meant by 'someone'. He decided to bring Stith too. She had to meet this extraordinary Mantrinesse, this wise master warrior.

"Grandmother," Kero said softly. "Is she?"

Zahn sighed.

"She's still among us but I'm afraid Kirliya is calling for her. It won't take long before she makes 'the crossing'."

Kero looked at Stith. She had to meet Myrzah.


	16. Chapter 14 The Son of the Empire

**The Son of the Empire**

* * *

Without a word she followed her friend to a part of the palace she hadn't seen yet. It was very quiet in this part of the Emperor's house and the few servants they ran into spoke very softly, careful not to disturb the peace and quiet. The floors of the corridors were covered with long carpets that dampened the sound of their feet. She wanted to ask where they were going but eventually Kero seemed to feel the urge to tell her himself. Slowing down his pace his voice almost quieted to a whisper.

"We're going to see my grandmother. You must know that we have great respect for the elderly here on Sogowa, no exceptions."

"I know Kero," she whispered back. In the colonies it wasn't any different.

A very old Mantrin was a rare sight and especially a retired warrior. Dying in battle was a more preferred death above dying of old age. But the ones that did get old were highly respected and sometimes achieved some of the highest honors for serving their Emperor and Empire.

"She's my grandmother from my mother's side. She has fought many battles and Myrzah is known among our people as a master warrior and must be treated with the utmost respect. She's very old though and she needs her rest but my mother frequently visits her when she's awake. However she told me that her condition has worsened in the past few days."

He sighed, realizing her time was about to come. He loved his grandmother and he would certainly be there to honor her death. The honoring could take some time. In the history of their race, the greatest of warriors were sometimes honored for days after their death. Nowadays it was less common and most honorings didn't last for more than a day.

"I'm sorry Kero. I would love to meet her, if that´s okay with you."

Preparing herself to meet a truly great warrior, she and Kero stepped around the last corner. The tall double wooden doors were beautifully decorated and the right one was left ajar. She heard soft voices coming from inside the room. Thanks to her sharp hearing she recognized one of them as The'lah's. When they approached the doors she could hear a second and rather weak voice of a Mantrin that had to be very old coming from the room. Kero's mother had a sad undertone in her voice and when her son opened the door and they both stepped in she could very well understand why. Most of the space was taken by a large bed. Medical equipment softly beeped at the head end and The'lah sat on a chair near the bed. On the edge of the bed sat a Goureg Mantrinesse that could only be Myrzah. She was very old, her slate-colored skin wrinkled just like her muzzle. Her ears were hanging down forever and her tail was weakly lying on the blanket. It cost her great effort to speak and her voice was nothing more than a whisper most of the time. Her neck was barely able to hold her head and her entire body was shivering of old age when she tried to move. But the thing that shocked Stith the most was how skinny she was. The old Mantrinesse had almost no muscle mass left and her bones could be seen on various places through her white pajama's and in her face. It was so sad to see her like this and she could very well understand the tears gleaming on The'lah's face.

"You do not need to cry my child," Myrzah said with shivering voice. "My time has come and Kirliya is urging me to make 'the crossing'. You can't do anything to change that."

"Oh mother," The'lah cried, softly embracing her mother, careful not to harm her fragile body.

Despite her age, the old woman didn't fail to notice the two newcomers entering her room. Kero and Stith waited beside the door, Kero with a lump in his throat, careful not to surprise her with their coming. Myrzah turned her glassy eyes toward them and weakly rubbed her daughter's back.

"Come The'lah. Your son is here to see me too." The old woman smiled faintly when her daughter released her. "I'll still be here when you return. You don't mind if I have a word with your son in private?"

"Of course not mother," The'lah sobbed. The Emperor's wife left the room but not without a few last words to her son. "Keep it brief Kero, she's very weak."

"I think I can decide that for myself The'lah," Myrzah said with a soft barely audible laugh. "I may be old, but my hearing is still okay." The'lah smiled faintly after which she left Kero and Stith alone with her mother. The old Mantrinesse slowly turned her glassy blue eyes toward them and gestured both Kero and Stith to come further. "Come, sit Kero." Kero sat down on the bed on her left, a sad expression on his face. Myrzah first turned her attention to Stith. "Hello my child, I'm Myrzah as you probably know. Tell me you name. Come, sit next to me."

Stith softly sat down next to the old Goureg Mantrinesse, frightened by her appearance. She looked so weak and barely able to speak a word. She needed to catch her breath after each time she spoke and her eyes almost looked like those of a blind person, although she was certain Myrzah could see perfectly. Her sharp warrior reflexes hadn't let her down just yet.

"Ma'am," Stith said, politely making a slight bow before sitting. "My name is Stith, I'm… I'm trying to become a warrior just like you."

Myrzah laughed softly, amused by her words.

"Trying? Or are you a warrior?" "I eh… I don't really know." Stith was suddenly struck by feelings of uncertainty. The old woman next to her had participated in at least three times as much battles as she and it made her doubt her own abilities. Myrzah had been one of the best, an elite warrior with top skills and experience far beyond her own. The uncertainty disappeared when she felt Myrzah's wrinkled warm hand on hers. "Don't feel uncomfortable by my presence Stith. Show me who you are. Show me your true appearance. You are young, strong and ready to defend our Empire."

Myrzah coughed softly and paused. Exhaustion was the worst enemy at this age and she was fighting it with everything she had.

"I will ma'am."

"Hmmm," Myrzah mumbled. The old woman was kind, gentle and Stith wished she had family like that. The tragedy early in her life left her without anyone who cared for her. No gentle helping hand in rough times. It had made her to what she was, a warrior, trained to kill without a single thought. Myrzah slowly turned her head on her aching neck, a soft groan leaving her mouth. "Oh Kero, I've heard you fought with your brother yesterday."

"Grandmother," Kero muttered, tears gleaming in his eyes. "I'm… sorry."

Myrzah slowly shook her head and grabbed her grandson's hands.

"You don't have to apologize to me Kero. I've had a talk with your brother. You must know that he's having trouble controlling his anger. You must help him to regain that control. He's frustrated and even I wasn't able to figure out what's bothering him." She had to pause again. She panted softly and closed her eyes against the pain in her bones and muscles. "I don't know if disclaiming your heritage is the right thing to do son. But you must do what your hearts tell you to do."

"I will grandmother."

Soundless tears ran down her grandson's cheeks. Raising her hand she wiped them away with a gentle stroke. Kero looked up when her warm hand touched his face and grabbed Myrzah's hand with his own.

"Tell me, why are you crying?"

"I just… I don't want you to go. I love you grandmother."

The lump that had taken its place in Stith's throat was starting to prevent her from breathing. She too was fighting her tears. It was a sad situation. Myrzah was dying and the only thing that kept her from going was her strong will and her unrivaled stubbornness. It was difficult for her too to see her like this.

"Don't Kero. I'll go to a better place. Kirliya will take care of me like you all have done for me. I've lived a long and happy life and as with everything it has to end some day. It's hard for yourself and the people around you to accept but you must go on." Kero nodded slowly and bit his lower lip. "Go now; your father told me he has a surprise waiting for you. May Kirliya enlighten your path in these dark times."

"May Kirliya guide you when you make 'the crossing'."

Myrzah shook her head and made a 'no' gesture with her finger.

"Not so fast Kero, not so fast. I'll decide when I answer her call. I already told your mother that." Kero stood up and nodded again, afraid to look her in the eyes because the tears were about to break through again. Myrzah turned her attention to Stith for the last time and laughed softly. "Take good care of my grandson Stith. He has the tendency to get himself into trouble sometimes."

"Yes ma'am, it was an honor to meet you."

"It was nice to meet you too Stith. May Kirliya help you to find what you seek. But stop running all the time. What you seek may be closer then you think."

"Thank you ma'am."

"Until next time, dear."

Myrzah turned her head away when they left, gazing outside to the rising sun. The wise old woman was physically broken and exhausted but mentally she was in perfect condition. When Kero and Stith left, leaving the door of her room ajar, The'lah was waiting outside. She quickly entered her mother's room again when they left, as if afraid that she had passed away in the mean time. Kero walked back to the throne hall at a steady pace, wiping off the remains of the tears on his face. He took a deep breath and tried to swallow the lump stuck in his throat.

"I can definitely tell that she's more weakened than ever."

"She's just too old Kero. I'm so sorry for you."

"She just refuses to give up. We think she's waiting for something but we can't quite figure out what it is nor will she tell us."

He remained silent leaving Stith thinking. _Does this woman know more about what's going on? Is it a certain feeling she had that kept her from letting Kirliya take what humans call the soul?_ It was confusing and it was a secret that Myrzah was about to keep until death. She could feel that the old Mantrinesse was still remarkably strong. Not physically, no it was something different. Even at her age, the warrior inside Myrzah was still very much alive and it would take a lot more to defeat her. Something told her that this wasn't the last time she had seen Kero's grandmother. Like every warrior she would fight until the bitter end.

The sky slowly turned black as the Emperor's personal transport ship broke through the upper layers of the atmosphere. It was luxuriously equipped and just like every Mantrin ship large but pretty fast and agile. The ship was on course for Sogowa III where the shipyards were located. Zahn, Kero and Stith sat in the roomy passenger lounge. While his father and Stith were having a conversation, Kero listened with half an ear, looking out the window, staring, thinking about Myrzah. She always left him with something to think about.

"Are you planning to return to duty Stith?" Zahn asked.

"No sir, I have other obligations. Why?"

"I took the liberty to look up your file in the Imperial Guard's archive and you held the rank of Lieutenant when you resigned. When Kero returns to duty, you could be a valuable addition to his bridge staff."

"I would love to but I can't just leave Captain Korso without a weapons expert."

The _Valkyrie_ had been her home for some time and leaving it seemed unreal. However Sogowa was a beautiful world and at Kero's side it could be her permanent home; a place to stay and live a normal life.

"He'll be fine. The humans do have a homeworld again so it won't take long before they can rebuild their fleet."

_He's got a point there._ Korso would probably get a job in the Earth military. The humans had plenty of experience with space travel so it wasn't like leaving a child at the controls of a starship. And this time she was guaranteed a CO without the jerky attitude. With all of that in mind she decided to give in.

"I'll give it some thought. Maybe it isn't such a bad idea after all."

"That's what I was thinking," Zahn replied with a laugh that sounded more like a bark.

"I would love to have you on my bridge," Kero said with a sheepish grin.

The com chimed after which the pilot's voice sounded over the intercom, disrupting their little conversation.

"Sorry to disturb you my lord but we're approaching the shipyards. Shall I tie her up with the dock?"

"You know the answer," Zahn replied cheerfully.

He was just as eager as Kero to check out the new ship; the pride of the Imperial fleet.

"Yes, my lord."

"You might wanna take a look outside my son, cause that's gonna be your home in a few days. Helm, open her up a bit."

The pilot acknowledged and opened the large metal blast shutters covering the ship's transparent roof and part of the walls to reveal the tidy area of space surrounding Sogowa III. When Kero gazed out of the window into the darkness of space his eyes caught an enormous dock with the largest starship he had ever seen inside it. Being astonished he didn't know what to say at first. He swallowed and placed his large hand on the cold window.

"She's beautiful."

The vessel's beauty almost left him without words. Stith and his father came standing next to him.

"Pretty big huh?" Stith laughed.

The ship was extremely large but it featured the same recognizable design as other Mantrin warships. This design however featured a double wing structure as its forward bow to accommodate more weapon systems. A larger one stacked on top of a smaller wing with some space between it. The large wing carried double engine exhausts on each of the aft sides to provide the necessary thrust and warp power to move such a vessel through space. The bridge tower was as always placed on top of this structure. The backwards stretching secondary hull was colossal, heavily armored and ended in a tail with large fins in a cross-shape. Only the horizontal fins carried engine nacelles for extra thrust. Zahn placed his hand on his son's right shoulder.

"The Ikana class warship. We designated this type of vessel as a battle dreadnought. She's the first in her class and possibly the only one. This baby can fight off even the largest of enemy vessels without much trouble."

"What kind of weapons does she have?"

She just had to ask. As the weapons expert Stith had to know what she was going to play with if she decided to take the Emperor's offer and re-enlist in the Imperial Guard.

"Implosion missiles, ion torpedoes, laser cannons, photon cannons, pretty much everything. It's placed on strategic places all over the ship to maximize the size of the firing arcs and to make sure that a single hit can't take out all of the weapon systems at once."

"Sounds like fun."

Though larger ships carried a lot of firepower, it was a lot tougher to defend them against smaller more agile attackers if the firing arcs were too narrow. This ship didn't seem to have that weakness. As the transport came in closer to the docking area of the installation, the size of the ship really struck them. As Mantrins needed more room to effectively move around then most species, their ships always had the tendency to be big no matter the purpose.

"How big is this ship?"

Kero was barely able to tear his eyes from the sight. The thought that this magnificent vessel would be his in one week was overwhelming. He wouldn't mind commanding a smaller ship but commanding this beauty would provide him with a whole new challenge. One he wasn't afraid to accept though.

"I heard there are forty-six decks spread over approximately twenty-nine hundred-and-fifty meters but I could be a few inches off," Zahn replied, digging into his memory with a flattened ear.

He remembered the day that he and some of the flag officers of the Imperial Guard had discussed the construction of this vessel and shocked a whole bunch of engineers. They had a whole lot of difficulties to work out before they came up with a final design. Now it was nearing completion and it was almost exactly like he envisioned, at least the outside.

"How can I thank you for this father? I… I don't know what to say."

"Thank me by regaining your honor my son. I have full confidence that you will succeed. _But_ she still needs a proper name by the end of the week as you will take her on a short shakedown cruise to Earth."

"I'll think about it."

"May I give you some advice?" Kero nodded. He was barely able to control his whipping tail from excitement. "Think of something special, something that fits you. A ship isn't a ship without a proper name."

"Thank you father. I'll keep that in mind."

A few moments later the transport had docked with the massive space born installation holding the dreadnought in place while it was being build. Upon entering the station they were welcomed by the quartermaster of the docking facility and a few high ranking Imperial Guard officers. These officers answered directly to the Imperial High Command. They bowed deeply and the quartermaster spoke with great respect in his voice when he looked up to face his Emperor. The middle-aged Mantrin was a crossbreed of two races as his skin color and patterns didn't perfectly match any of the Mantrin races around.

"We are honored by your visit my lord. I've heard great news that your son will assume command of her when she's ready. Are there any requests before we proceed to the ship?"

"Well, in fact there is one," Zahn replied with a smirk.

Half a minute later the voice of the quartermaster sounded through the entire facility and the ship itself.

"Attention all personnel, this is the quartermaster, we have the honor to welcome both His Imperial Majesty Emperor Zahn and His Royal Highness Prince Kero aboard. The Emperor has specifically requested that everyone is to proceed as ordered. I repeat, do not bother neither the Emperor nor his son during their visit. Thank you."

After leaving the docking hatch behind, the trio found themselves in the wide well-lit corridors of the warship. Imperial Guard officers, engineers and other technically qualified personnel frequently walked by, typing on pads, carrying equipment or just on their way to where they were needed. On their way to the bridge they found many Mantrins working on installing equipment, connecting conduits or other maintenance work since most of the ship's systems were already operational. They were all talking simultaneously, yelling orders or other comments, 'watch out' being one of the more popular.

"_How am I going to find my way on this ship?" _Kero thought.

His thoughts were interrupted by Stith. Apparently in contrast to him, she couldn't keep her enthusiasm to herself.

"Exciting isn't it? New ship, new crew. It smells like a new adventure."

He chuckled.

"Well, you're sure right about that. You seem eager to go right now."

Guided by an escort and an Admiral, Zahn, Kero and Stith after many corridors and a large turbolift reached the nerve center of the ship. The bridge was a large module on top of the ship that provided access to all systems. A secondary command post could be set up in main engineering to reroute all of the bridge's functions in case of an emergency. When the doors slit open, the large command center, filled with screens, shimmering consoles and busy officers was revealed. The bridge was huge, with the large chair that would be Kero's in a few days in the middle, flanked by two others. The seal of the Imperial Guard was cut out in the metal deck plating in front of it. This time the officers on duty stopped with what they were doing and turned their attention to the visitors. The officer in temporary command of all operations on board asked for attention.

"Emperor Zahn and Prince Kero on the bridge!" the Sogowan announced with a loud voice.

As Zahn ordered everyone to continue the Admiral cleared his throat to say something.

"May I have everyone's attention?" Emitting strength and authority, his request was responded to immediately. He was an Orketh, thus smaller than most Mantrins but he outranked everyone else currently on the bridge. "The Emperor and his son are not just here for a visit. Prince Kero will return to duty and will take command of this ship by the end of the week. I expect everyone to follow his orders. Your new Captain is on the bridge. Thank you."

When the Admiral stepped back, Kero stepped forward to look at his new bridge and crew. The Commander of the ship, indicated by the insignia on his collar walked up to the Prince, making a slight bow before speaking.

"I'm looking forward to working with you sir. She's brand new and she doesn't have a name yet. You have the honor to choose one."

"Thank you…?"

"Rilas is the name. Do you personally want to inspect each of the stations or shall we visit the Captain's ready room first?"

The Admiral cleared his throat again.

"I'll take my leave of you now Captain. I'll expect you to begin your mission when your ship is ready."

"Yes Admiral," Kero replied firmly.

After the Orketh left and they proceeded to the Captain's ready room with the entrance on the left side of the bridge. It was roomy and very neat. When not on the bridge the Captain would work in this room on other important tasks. A large wooden desk with a computer terminal on it, a comfortable chair, a display showing ship's system status on the wall and a massive window currently showing worker bees and the interior of the space dock were the only things worth noticing for now.

"Better do some decorating Kero," Stith remarked. "Kinda dull if you don't mind me saying so."

Kero shrugged.

"I know a few things."

Like everything he had seen so far, it was larger than aboard the _Myrana_. He would certainly miss that ship but it was lost forever and it's class hadn't been one of the newest. Eventually it would have been replaced anyway and he would have gotten another ship.

"You'll spend a lot of time here my son," Zahn supported Stith's words. "Make this you own personal space. A place where you feel comfortable."

"Thanks for the tip father."

"Main engineering is next," one of officers guiding them said.

"I'm afraid we have to cut the tour short this time Kero," Zahn interrupted the officer. "You'll have plenty of time to visit and make yourself familiar with your ship but there's something important we have to do today."

"The shrine father, I haven't forgotten. Rajah will be the next Emperor."

"There isn't a rule that says it can't be passed on to a younger relative so if this is what you want."

"Yes father, let's proceed."

_**Authors note: Music track 11 (The Ruler of the Empire – (Winter Tundra – Steward Copeland))**_

"Crown Prince Kero, are you willing to disclaim your father's heritage and pass on the title of ruler of the Mantrin Empire to your brother Rajah?"

The shrine was a large building partially built on the terrain of the Imperial palace. The members of the Imperial House had their own special place inside and that was where Kero's family and Stith were standing right now. This was the place where all the former rulers were honored and where members of the Mantrin race would come to show their loyalty and respect to the current ruler and Kirliya The Enlightened. Huge stone statues portraying both Kirliya and the former Emperors bared witness of that all. Stith and the Tiraya family were standing on a stone plateau in a round pool of water in the center of the enormous sanctuary. The water was flowing along the walls of the building in a circle-shaped ring connected to the center pool by six straight channels. The sanctuary was partially built below the ground and the huge domed roof was the only thing visible from above. Five Mantrin elders stood in front of the young Prince who sat on one of his four knees to show respect toward the saints.

"Yes _Shaloa_. I have spoken to my brother and I believe he's more than capable of taking on this huge responsibility. My brother will be the heir of my father's title."

He had placed as much weight in his voice as possible to let them know he was serious. The saint remained silent for a few seconds as if he gave it some thought before continuing.

"Rajah, youngest son of Zahn and The'lah, it is now your turn to come forth." It was Rajah's turn to sink on one knee on the stone plateau in front of the saints. His brother hadn't moved a bit. The black-skinned Mantrin showed the same respect toward the elders, just as his older brother did. "Rajah, are you aware of your responsibilities when you become the future ruler of the Empire?"

"Yes _Shaloa_, I am well aware of my future responsibilities as heir of the throne and I swear by Kirliya The Enlightened herself that I will do whatever necessary to preserve a decent future for all beings calling themselves a member of the Mantrin species."

The saint made a sound that sounded like a laugh.

"Patience young Prince. The oath will be taken from you when the time is right. For now, you will continue to perform your duties and serve your Empire and your family. Are there any objections?"

"No _Shaloa_," Zahn answered. "If both my sons except, there is no objection from any of us."

"Then it has been decided. Prince Rajah, you will follow in your father's footsteps when he is no longer able to perform his duties as Emperor. You may stand."

Rajah rose up on his legs again and bowed deeply in front of the elders.

"Thank you, _Shaloa_."

"As for you Kero, you will continue to perform your duties as a son of the Empire until you're no longer able to. You may stand."

"That's it!"

The words were out of his mouth before he realized it. He was a little shocked by his own but the _Shaloa_ merely frowned.

"Excuse me, young Prince. What is 'it' exactly?"

"Forgive me _Shaloa_, you've… inspired me with your words. I was thinking about something for a long time and you've given me an idea."

"Glad I could be of help to you. You may stand." Kero showed the same respect as his younger brother by bowing in front of the saints. "May Kirliya enlighten your paths when performing your duties. Excuse us."

The saints left the shrine and left the Emperor's family standing in the middle of the sanctuary, now accompanied only by the sound of falling water.

Kero and Rajah returned to the others, but not before speaking to each other.

"I don't know how to thank you my brother. Tell me, what do you want me to do?" Rajah asked.

Kero looked very serious at his younger brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. Looking into Rajah's bright blue eyes that were the same as his he spoke firmly.

"To perform admirably when becoming and being the leader of our proud people. You can thank me by being a good ruler and preserve a future for our kind in good and in bad times."

"I will," Rajah ensured him.

The two embraced each other for a short time before returning to the others. Both their parents looked at them with pride.

"I'm proud of both of you, no matter what you'll become. Make the old man proud."

"Yes father," Kero and Rajah replied in unison.

"Come, let's go back."

On their short trip back to the palace, Kero walked next to his father and Stith.

"Hey Kero, what was 'it'?" Stith asked. Kero's sudden words had raised her curiosity.

"Yes Kero, you've made me curious," Zahn added.

"Well, father you've said my new ship still needs a good name."

"That's right, and you've made one up, at a rather odd moment."

He added a laugh but his son was serious.

"Not an odd moment. The _Shaloa_ gave me the idea. From now on she will bear the name _Son of the Empire_."


	17. Chapter 15 Shakedown

**Shakedown**

* * *

The rest of the days before the official shakedown cruise of the new Ikana class warship _Son of the Empire_ and the beginning of its first mission, both Stith and Kero spent their time either onboard the ship or on the beautiful planet of Sogowa Prime. The day before her launch however her Captain spent most of his time onboard. Sitting behind the wooden desk in his ready room, Kero reviewed the daily ship's status report. She was almost ready to leave space dock. Just a few more tweaks and calibrations on her primary drive systems and they were ready to go. The number of attacks had increased and had become a more pressing concern so those negotiations were now an important matter. Another warship, heavily damaged by an unsuspected attack had to be towed in yesterday after the Imperial High Command received her distress call. _Let's hope that Korso didn't run into them._ His ship was fast and agile but if trapped an easy target. And without a trained weapons expert he'd better not run into trouble. He just finished reading the first page of the report when his door bell chimed.

"Enter," he replied without looking up from the report, supporting his head with his hand, making himself look very uninterested. _Why do these things have to be so boring? _

"And, whadda ya think?"

Looking up when he recognized the voice, he saw Stith standing in front of his desk, turning half circles to show what she was wearing. She looked gorgeous in the female version of the Imperial Guard uniform. It was the same as his, a red long-sleeved shirt and matching pants but the shirt was shorter, exposing her muscular midriff. The Lieutenant's insignia adorned on the collar. Her sudden coming surprised him but couldn't keep the smile from appearing on his face.

"You're wearing a uniform."

"Looks good huh?" she replied happily. "Remember your father looked up my file? He gave the order to correct a few 'inconsistencies' and here I am."

Kero shook his head and laughed.

"You don't have to do this for me, Stith."

"Nonsense, I wanna give it a try." She stepped closer to him, bowing over his desk, bringing her muzzle closer to his. There was a brief little spark in her eyes. Was it love or something else? A challenge perhaps? "Besides, my current Captain isn't such a jerk as my former one."

"All right Lieutenant, welcome aboard. You checked in already?"

He looked very seriously now, really playing the role of ship's Captain as it's supposed to be. She gave him the same look back, without so much as flinching.

"Yes sir! My file has already been added to the manifest and you bet I'm duty ready. I've been assigned as tactical officer and my place is on the bridge."

"I see you've already settled in. But let's get this straight Lieutenant." Her happiness fainted a little, until she realized he was toying with her. "On the bridge it's Captain." His voice became almost a whisper, his eyes twinkling in a lovely way. "In private, it's just Kero."

"Hmm," she hummed before continuing. A faint mysterious smile played along the edges of her beak. "Anything else, sir?"

"You're dismissed, Lieutenant."

Turning around with a whip of her tail she left. Kero shook his head and smiled. This mission was going to be a whole lot easier with that girl supporting him. His thoughts, which were focused on anything but the report, were interrupted by the chime of his wristcom which turned out to be his second in command.

"Rilas to Captain Kero."

"Go ahead, Commander."

"Incoming message from the High Command, sir."

"Patch it through." The Admiral was the small Orketh who was on the ship before. Whatever it was, he seemed to have left his good mood someplace else. "Good day, Admiral. Is something wrong?"

"There's always something wrong nowadays, Captain," he replied in a grouchy way. "The ship towed in yesterday is in pretty bad shape. Nearly half of the crew is dead and it might have been better if they'd just finished them off. At least they would've died honorably. But instead they turned tail and ran, the cowards!"

"What happened exactly?"

"They were overwhelmed by a large swarm of fighter-like craft. Since your ship has a bay full of attack fighters, I'm assigning a few of our best fighter pilots under your command. They'll keep those enemy fighters busy in case you run into them on your way to the human homeworld."

"With all due respect sir, I don't think that's a good idea."

He made sure he let a touch of concern slip into his voice, something the Admiral noticed.

"Explain."

"Our enemy is a race of intelligent machines controlled by an AI. The loss of a fighter drone for them is like nothing. They just build and program a new one. If we lose a pilot, we lose a valuable crew member and a skilled warrior capable of flying those craft."

The Admiral flicked an ear and growled.

"You may be right about this Captain, but they'll still join your crew in case you change your mind. These warriors are willing to give their life for their Empire just like anyone else if the success of their mission depends on it. Furthermore the _Volari_ and the _Bokara_ will to join you on this mission. Ma'zan and Jah'len are both skilled Captains and they'll make a fine addition to your task force. You've been selected as the Fleet Commander and you'll have this rank for the duration of the mission."

"Yes Admiral."

"Ambassador Jy'sen will arrive early in the morning. Make sure he receives a proper welcome. That'll be all Captain. Good luck and may Kirliya assist you in battle. If you encounter the enemy, crush them, no mercy! Xilrai out!"

While the screen flashed back to the report he was reading he took a deep breath and decided it was enough for today. After finishing his review he stood up to leave and return to the surface with Stith. _One last night._

Next morning Kero reviewed the final checkup before leaving space dock. The meeting with the ambassador had gone well. Ambassador Jy'sen was an extremely large Sogowan male Mantrin. He was known for his patience -which was a rare trait among his race- and his unquestionable loyalty toward Emperor and Empire. Mantrins didn't believe in neat clothes and the ambassador was no exception. His clothes and the insignia he wore on his chest distinguished him from the rest of the crew but nothing more than that. He was however treated with respect as it should be. The fighter pilots had arrived as well, distinguishing themselves from the regular crew by wearing blue uniforms. They were well-trained to pilot small fighter craft but could function as normal crewmembers when not flying. For the last time Kero went through the list of inspections to make sure they didn't forgot anything. _Are those intermix levels allowed to be point zero three percent off?_

"Oh forget it!" he said to himself, shoving the holoscroll to the far left edge of his desk. _Sure my chief engineer can handle this._

Without spending anymore time thinking about it he left the ready room. He double-checked that thing so it had to be fine.

Entered the bridge, the entire bridge staff showed their respect to their new Captain, saluting him as he made his way to the center of the command deck. Stith winked from behind her console. She was in her element behind the tactical console so the weapon systems were one thing he wouldn't have to worry about. He took a deep breath before beginning his speech while his ops. officer put him on ship-wide.

"I know we're getting along with each other for just a few days now. I still haven't had the time to get to know all of you better but I'm confident that we can work together. I'm looking forward to it because I know that you're all capable officers who are willing to give their lives for the Empire. Its future might depend on the success of this mission. Strength to the Empire!"

"Strength to the Empire!" his bridge staff repeated.

The edges of Kero's beak curved into a smile.

"All hands this is the Captain! Brig for departure, we're heading out!" While he settled into the center chair and stared at the main viewscreen, the depths of space were laid out in front of them. This was no exploration mission however. They had a clear heading. His First Officer took place in the chair next to his, flashing him a faint smile.

"Ready to go Captain. Our orders are to rendezvous with the rest of the taskforce near the fourth planet. The _Volari_ and the _Bokara_ are waiting for us to join them."

"Thank you Rilas. All stations, status?"

"Main power and main drive systems are standing by, sir."

"Communication systems and scanners register as functional, Captain."

"Weapons, shields and targeting scanners are ready to be brought online on your orders, sir," Stith reported.

"Bridge to engineering."

"Majih here, sir," his chief engineer reported.

"Let's bring those engines online."

"Yes sir."

"Ensign, please signal the quartermaster that we're heading out. Release the docking clamps. Helm, take us out of space dock. Ahead one quarter." The vessel's massive sublight thrust engines came online and began to push the largest and most powerful Imperial warship ever built out of space dock. Using the maneuvering thrusters to keep the ship from hitting the dock, they cleared the holding area without any problems. Kero felt excited about his new command but didn't really show it to his senior staff. A Captain had to keep up the professional attitude while being in command of a starship. "Lieutenant, set a course for the rendezvous point and open her up a bit."

Leaving the shipyards, the _Son of the Empire_ accelerated toward her meeting with the other ships of the taskforce. The _Volari_ and the _Bokara_ were ready to get underway, holding position near Sogowa IV.

"We're being hailed by both ships, sir."

"Put them one screen simultaneously."

"Captain Ma'zan of the warship _Volari_ sir, ready to follow your orders."

"Captain Jah'len of the _Bokara_, we're ready."

"All right Captains, welcome to taskforce _Peacekeeper_. Set a course for-"

"Sir! Unidentified vessel dropping out of warp at the edge of the system."

"Shall I bring weapons online, sir?" Stith asked, eager to test the new weapon systems.

The crew was rubbing their hands already and seemed eager to avenge those who died in the recent attacks. A little too eager for Kero's taste. Besides, whoever it was couldn't have made it all the way here without being intercepted by a warship.

"Looks like we've got company," Ma'zan growled. "Shall we alter course to intercept?"

"No, wait," Kero ordered. "Scan the incoming ship."

"Scanning. Human craft, three bio signs."

"Hail them."

They responded immediately and both Mantrin Captains made place for a familiar human face. It was Captain Korso. The _Valkyrie_ had returned.

"Captain, I see you've got a nice new toy to play with."

"Captain Korso, glad to see you back in one piece," Kero replied with a smirk that equaled Korso's. "This new 'toy' is named the _Son of the Empire_ and it's the newest addition to the Imperial fleet. Did you encounter any problems on your trip to Solbrecht?"

"Not really I guess. The Solbrecht chancellor is willing to participate in the alliance as well. We've got a couple of million humans willing to come to Earth. It can all be arranged during the formation of the alliance. Anything else worth mentioning or shall we head back?"

"Actually there are a few things I wanna discuss on our way to Earth. If you steer your ship into our docking bay we'll take you there. I've got enough space in there to fit a small fleet."

Korso gave it some thought.

"Proud of your little ship eh? You know what leggy boy? Sounds like an excellent idea. We're a little low on fuel and that stuff doesn't come cheap at any place."

Kero flattened an ear and raised an eye ridge.

"Leggy boy?"

"Yeah, I had to nickname ya. You're such a special type of guy, you know."

"Whatever," Kero replied rather indifferently.

"But seriously Korso. Don't call me leggy boy in front of my senior staff, will ya?"

Korso laughed.

"Yes sir. Hold her steady. I'm bringing the old girl in. Korso out."

With the _Valkyrie_ safely docked within the _Son of the Empire_ and the bay doors sealed Kero signaled the other ships to follow.

"Punch her up to warp seven and engage."

The warp engines came online with a powerful background hum as the warp coils charged up, generating the subspace displacement field required to push the ship past the speed-of-light barrier. The transition took place within the blink of an eye. The _Volari_ and _Bokara_ followed.

"The other ships are matching course and speed, Captain."

"Thank you. Lieutenant Stith? If you wanna discuss something with your former CO, I suggest you do it know."

He dismissed her with a quick nod and signaled another crewmember to take her post. Leaving the bridge she took the turbolift down to the lower decks. Korso had the right to know why she would be no longer part of his crew as of this moment. She also had to collect her stuff, including a few personal items which couldn't be left behind.

Everything was as usual on the _Valkyrie_. Though she could use an overhaul and her systems had the tendency to break down a little too often for her taste it had been a fine ship to serve on. She could've done far worse in this galaxy. She loved to fine-tune the weapon systems and targeting arrays, of course as long as it didn't involve _too_ much mechanical work. But she wanted to move on with her life, spend some time among others of her own kind. If the humans rebuild their fleet, there would be a replacement for her aboard the _Valkyrie_. Maybe the old bird itself would be replaced and Korso would be given command of a newer ship design. Thinking about what would happen to Korso and his ragtag crew of aliens she ran into the least favorite crewmember she ever served with on any ship. The Akrennian was bad in hiding his true intentions because he wasn't really doing something useful. He pretended to be busy with the ship's internal circuitry but she knew he was just eager to annoy her one last time.

"There she is again," he began with that same oily voice and everlasting smirk on face. "You've always been beautiful, precious. But you know I have trouble resisting women in uniform even more. And what's that scent? It's intoxicating."

Narrowing her eyes to slits, she could feel her right hand balling itself into a fist. She didn't like that tone in the least, as if he were drooling over his words.

"Oh, shut up Preed! Your idiotic flirting attempts are as annoying as they are disgusting," she snarled, passing by without even deigning to look at him.

"But sweetheart, you just can't imagine how much I've missed you. One little kiss before you're gone forever is all I ask."

She could _feel_ him give her that wolfish grin again. Stopping abruptly she turned around, tail lashing, eyes flickering. Grabbing the Akrennian by his dirty shirt, she shoved him up against the cold metal bulkhead, feeling a gush of foul breath in her face.

"Call me sweetheart again and I'll make sure you regret that you ever met me. And for your information Preed, both my hearts belong to someone else so _stop bothering me_!"

The Akrennian slowly slit back to the deck plating when she released him, not even daring to say something while she had him in her incredibly strong grip.

"I think I know who the lucky one is. It's the young Prince isn't it?" If looks could have killed he would have been a smoldering black scar on the metal by now. Apparently that did the trick because he didn't dare to say more until she was out of hearing range. "By the Gods, I've always wanted to see her in uniform," he said to himself, letting himself fall back against the bulkhead. _That guy's lucky, I gotta give him that._

Rubbing his aching back he closed the wall panel and headed for his quarters, smirking. At least he tried and that was worth something with this girl.

Stith met with her former Captain in his ready room. Korso was a bit surprised at first to see her wearing a uniform of the Imperial Guard but he realized that whatever decision she made, it was not up to him to try and change her mind. Stith explained what happened on Sogowa. How she got to know Kero, how she fell in love with him and that she wanted to spend more time among other Mantrins. Respecting the wishes of his former weapons expert he didn't object in any way.

"You know girl, it's your decision. I can't order you to stay onboard and even if I wanted to, well you know what they say. You can't stop a Mantrin. But I respect your wishes as your Captain and friend and I can only wish you good luck and a happy life. I loved to have you around and I think that no one can ever replace you. Goodbye Stith. And good luck."

Stith felt a bit sad to hear him say that. The human had truly been fond of her despite what happened on the Titan. Stepping forward she patted him on the shoulder, squeezing gently.

"You'll manage Korso," she said firmly. "The human race is going to take care of itself again since a long time. I look forward to cooperating with your kind in the future. The _Valkyrie_'s a fine ship with a fine crew and I wish you good luck with your career." Straightening her back, making herself look even taller than she already was, she saluted. "It's been an honor to serve with you, sir."

"The honor is mine, Lieutenant," Korso replied, giving her one final salute as well.

Stith couldn't blame Gune for being so sad. She had been his best friend for the duration of her staying on the _Valkyrie_ and now she was leaving him behind. The little brainiac had trouble keeping himself from bursting into tears.

"Why do you have to go away from Gune?" he asked sadly.

Stith bowed through her two sets of knees. The bridge already looked so empty and now she was leaving too.

"Don't be sad Gune. I'm not gone forever. My new Captain, you remember Kero? Well, he has been assigned on a mission to New Earth. We can keep seeing each other for a while." She softly stroke his bald head to comfort him. Gune threw himself against her and Stith couldn't keep herself from embracing him as well. "Bye little friend. See ya later."

After releasing him she left the bridge but not without one last look over her shoulder at the _Valkyrie_'s command deck, a chapter of her life she would never forget.

After having her stuff transferred to her new quarters aboard the _Son of the _Empire, Stith returned to her place behind the tactical systems of the Imperial dreadnought. The bridge felt a little less social than she was used to. There was a clear command structure and no time for small talk among the senior officers while on duty. The _Son of the Empire_ was faster than the _Valkyrie_ so the journey took less time at their current cruising speed but it was still a long seat. She didn't have much to do in the meantime and she almost hoped they would run into an enemy patrol to test these new weapons. Luckily for her, her wish was granted.

"Sir, I'm detecting a number of unidentified vessels on long range sensors."

"Can you identify them?"

"Boosting power to sensor array. Their signature matches that of the Machines sir. What shall we do?"

"Maintain present course for now."

Despite his orders from the Admiral, he was still a little reluctant to take this ship into battle. They didn't appear as a threat to them yet.

"Aye sir." There was a pause. "Sir! The enemy vessels have detected us and are moving in on an intercept course. Their current heading will take them directly into our path."

"Time to intercept?"

"Seven minutes at current speed."

Kero gave it a thought before giving further orders.

"Hail them, Ensign."

"Sir, hailing them? They are moving in on an assault vector. I don't think their intentions are hard to guess."

"Just do it Ensign."

"Activate weapons and raise the shields!" the officer addressed Stith.

She however didn't follow the order. Turning around to face his ops. officer, Kero raised his voice.

"I'm sorry Ensign. Last time I checked, _I_ was in command of this ship! So if you do not follow my orders I'll have you removed!"

Stith was surprised how well Kero handled a situation like this on his bridge. He was all authority now and didn't leave room for objections.

"Yes sir. It won't happen again, sir. Forgive me. Hailing the enemy ships."

The enemy responded, however on audio only. The same creepy machine-like voice spoke.

"You belong to an inferior race of organic beings. Your species will be annihilated."

"Inferior huh?" Kero replied in an amused way. "We'll see about that. I must inform you however that attacking an Imperial vessel will be considered an act of war. Alter course or prepare to be crushed."

"Your threats are irrelevant. You will be cleansed."

The transmission ended. One thing was certain. The enemy was not planning to break off its attack. He looked aside to his First Officer, who smiled back mischievously.

"D'you know what I'm thinking?" Rilas nodded. "Red alert! All hands to battle stations! Ensign, open a channel."

"Channel open, sir."

"Kero to all ships, prepare to engage the enemy at will."

All three ships moved into chevron attack formation with the _Son of the Empire_ up front. Kero didn't forget to tell Korso about the current situation.

"You in for a rough ride, Captain? We're about to engage an enemy patrol."

"As long as you don't get us killed, it's fine with me."

"I can assure you of that. I have no intention of dying today."

"Just show me what that new ship of yours can do."

They dropped out of warp in deep space. There were no solar systems in the direct vicinity. That meant they didn't have any place they could use for cover but a Mantrin couldn't be scared away from any battle. They wouldn't need it anyway.

"Lieutenant Stith, shields to full, standby to fire all weapons."

"Aye Captain."

She was eager to fire a couple of shots. The _Son of the Empire_'s weapons were fully automated and didn't require separate gun crews to operate them. Everything was available just for her. She could feel the thrill of battle. Her race lived to fight.

"The enemy is entering visual range!"

There were two carriers carrying assault fighters, one destroyer and two large battlecruisers. It would be five against three but they had the _Son of the Empire_. Kero wanted to take out at least one carrier before they could launch their craft as that would make things a whole lot easier. Passing on his attack plan to the Captains of the other ships he prepared himself for the battle.

"All right, let's see what you've got."

_**Authors note: Music track 12 (Imperial Warships – (Supreme Commander Original Soundtrack – Battle Music (Bonus Sketch)))**_

Their taskforce moved in at high speed to brutally attack and destroy one of the carriers first. With laser and photon cannons firing and implosion missiles homing in on their targets they made short work of the first enemy vessel that entered their crosshairs. The energy blasts punctured their shields while the missiles ruptured the hull and tore the ship apart.

"First one's gone, sir."

"Target the second carrier."

No matter how fast and brutal their first run came, the enemy had already begun launching fighter squadrons from the second carrier. They tried a similar tactic as before in orbit of New Earth, with the warships covering the carriers to allow them to launch their fighters. The lonely destroyer moved in to attack head on but as Kero knew; its weapons were front-facing so the aft of the ship would be vulnerable to weapons fire after its bombing run. The enemy destroyer was coming in fast, all forward weapons arrays blazing while the two cruisers provided fire support for the ship to make its run. As their blasts hit the shields, the _Son of the Empire_ trembled. Screens and lighting flickered for a second and a conduit blew out with a burst of sparks.

"Direct hit! Forward shields at eighty percent and holding!"

"Great, they already scratched the paint. Target their primary drive systems!"

"Aye, Captain."

Stith smirked, firing salvos with the aft cannons. The direct hits sent the destroyer adrift, leaking hot glowing plasma into space. And not a moment too soon. The first wave of enemy fighters came in fast, testing the _Son of the Empire_'s shields with their high-yield laser cannons.

"Kero to all ships. Don't let them focus their attacks on a single shield vector. Initiate evasive maneuvers." The three Imperial warships broke off their direct assault, each one of them approaching on a different attack vector, forcing the enemy to divide their attention. "How're you holding up, Lieutenant?"

Stith grinned maliciously and let out a laugh.

"Let 'em come to me sir. They'll never know what hit 'em."

She sure knew how to put the weapons to good use, taking out several targets at once using all the different banks. A second wave of enemy fighters was coming in, ready to be crushed, but their shields made them tougher then they first appeared.

"Commander, this is Ma'zan! They're coming about for another pass! We're taking damage here!"

"They're too damn fast sir. I can't take 'em all out!"

Kero bit his teeth and growled.

"Take us within firing range of one of their cruisers. See if we can take some heat off the _Volari. _Stith, lock weapons."

In the meantime they were still pursued by squadrons of fighters. As the salvos from the forward array slammed into the cruiser's shields, she defended their tail with the aft cannons. Their plan did work as part of the attack force harassing the _Volari_ broke off their attack quickly and focused their efforts on the _Son of the Empire_ instead. Their lasers hammered on the ship's shields but were unable to penetrate their defenses. No one however could expect the enemy cruisers to have powerful scanning equipment onboard. An active sensor sweep wiped their ship.

"Sir, we're being scanned?"

"What?"

"I'm detecting several unidentified energy signatures all over the ship. Looks like some kind of teleporter system."

"They're coming aboard! Remodulate the shields! They know our frequencies!" Kero yelled.

Stith responded lightning fast by remodulating the shield frequency but couldn't prevent some of the objects from getting through.

"They're coming through on decks eleven, seven, six, four and one!"

Something materialized on the bridge. It looked a lot like the flying device Gune designed, flat, made of metal and shaped like a saucer; only this thing didn't seem to have any kind of visible weaponry.

"Side arms!" Kero ordered. But as the bridge officers drew their blasters, two razor-sharp blades emerged from the sides of the device with a loud clank which began to spin at an extremely high velocity. The low frequency buzzing sound would make anyone nervous. Shortly after that it rapidly began flying through Kero's command center, attacking anyone appearing on its sensors. "Kill it!"

Firing his blaster he tried to be careful not to hit any sensitive equipment. The thing was extremely fast and he missed just like several others. It flew dangerously low over his head and he had to dive behind a console if he didn't want to lose both his ears. Stith was an expert gunner but still had trouble taking it out.

"C'mon, c'mon!" she hissed through clenched teeth while aiming one of her favorite blasters. The ship trembling under the fire of attacking fighters didn't help. _Gotta be fast or we won't have a ship around us to defend anymore._ "Yes!"

Pulling the trigger, a powerful laser blast whined through the air, hitting the spinning disc in the bottom as it was coming about for another pass. The stupid thing spun out of control and slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the bridge. A small explosion and a rain sparks followed. The dying machine had taken a console with it.

"Well done Lieutenant. Now let's take out the rest of these bugs before someone gets seriously hurt."

Both the _Bokara_ and the _Volari _had taken out their groups of fighters and were now concentrating their fire on the cruisers. These things were tougher to take out but were no match for three heavily armed Imperial warships. A few ion torpedoes took out their shields and fried every system on the ship while the lasers and missiles took care of the rest. The carrier tried to make a run for it but a few well-placed shots prevented them from leaving her party.

"You're mine! Whoohoo!" Stith cried out, her claws dancing over the console.

After taking out the last one, all ships returned to status green and came to a full stop.

"Casualty reports are coming in, sir."

"Nothing serious I hope?" Kero asked with an anxious look at the disc still stuck in the console on the right.

"A few cuts, bumps and bruises but no critically wounded."

"Have someone of engineering take a look at that thing over there. I want a full analysis. I've got a hunch that those things are gonna cause more trouble. Lieutenant, resume previous course."

No ships had suffered significant engine damage so they could continue on their way without further problems. Ma'zan called it a glorious battle. Jah'len congratulated Kero with such a fine ship and crew. He now knew what his ship and crew were capable of and that gave him a sense of security. Although he wasn't really as eager to fight as others of his race, he still secretly enjoyed this small battle. They were Mantrins. They lived for the thrill of the fight.


	18. Chapter 16 Dominator Development Project

**The **_**Dominator**_** Development Project**

* * *

When the taskforce dropped out of warp at the edge of the Andali system, the _Son of the Empire_'s bay doors opened and released the _Valkyrie_ back into the vacuum of space. The tough human ship had been through a lot, her primary drive systems powering up for one last time before her overhaul. Korso let her take position at the head of the formation to prevent them from showing up as an enemy fleet on the sensors of patrolling Federation ships. Their small fleet was readily intercepted by one of them as they headed deeper into the system. The heavily armed Ronin class battlecruiser assumed position near the smaller _Valkyrie_ to lead them to Earth.

"Glad to see you're back sir," her Captain greeted him. "And with a few friendlies too. According to Captain Pierce you'd have trouble recognizing the place but he was sure you'd like it."

Korso laughed.

"I think I've gotten used to surprises by now but that doesn't mean I always like 'em."

Coming within visual range of New Earth the planet seemed to have received some orbital additions.

"Preed, what am I looking at?"

"Scanning, Captain. Sensors are detecting various space born installations. Space docks, stations, orbital platforms, ships under construction..."

"The guy sure kept his word." He had no idea how Jason managed to set this up in just a few days time but he wasn't complaining. "I'm already impressed. If they've come this far already then those shelters are a thing of the past by now." Upon approaching the planet they were hailed by the large space station near the shipyards. Some sections were operational but most of it was still under construction. One of the finished docks near the station held the skeleton of a brand new starship under its massive arms. Small automated drones flew all over the place, converting energy into matter to build these massive installations. The _Valkyrie_ was assigned a space dock to undergo her refit while the Imperial starships entered high orbit. Korso sighed. It was time to say goodbye. He didn't know what kind of overhaul they were planning but if he were honest, he didn't really like the idea. Now it still looked, smelled and felt like the ship that had saved his butt on several occasions. "Well old bird, you've been a fine ship for these years."

Ordering his small crew to shut down all systems, he grabbed the cool grips of the stick in front of him for one last time. It felt familiar and he felt like parting from an old friend he knew wouldn't be the same after his return. They would take a shuttle to the surface of the planet while the ship was in space dock. The refit meant no flying for at least a week. _At the rate they're progressing they could probably do it in half that time._ Leaving the bridge with his First Mate and navigator, he tossed one last look over his shoulder at the command center where only a few tiny indicator lights glowed in the dark. The gentle chime of his wristcom echoed through the metal plated corridor. Without a thought he answered the call.

"Kero to Captain Korso."

"Go ahead?"

"I hope you don't mind me granting the crews access to the surface. Since we'll be staying here for a while I fail to see the point in working full shifts."

"Don't ask _me_ for permission. We need you down there. But I'd rather see you and Stith with me. I'm gonna check with Cale and Akima first. From what I've seen so far, I won't be surprised if they're waiting for us to sign that alliance treaty the moment we set foot down there."

"All right, see you on the surface. Same place as last time?"

"Don't see why not."

"Be there in a few minutes, Kero out."

The shuttle taking the remaining _Valkyrie_ crewmembers down to the surface was of a brand new type. It was a standard short-range transport shuttle for taking people up and down between the shipyards and the planet surface. Korso noticed that its pilot wore a provisionary uniform with a patch on his left shoulder which stated_ Earth Defense Force_. _Looks like they're pretty serious about this stuff._

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, sir. The new transporter systems aren't online yet. We still gotta a few bugs to work out. The test sample we sent over to the surface didn't arrive in satisfactory condition. Fortunately we haven't been testing with life subjects yet."

"Don't mind," Korso waved away his apology.

"I think I still have to adjust to the fact that I would have my molecules scrambled if all I wanna do is go up or down."

The pilot chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, sir. Give those technicians a few more hours and you won't even notice being at two places at the same time for that brief microsecond."

The shuttle gradually descended through the planet's atmosphere. The weather was still the same as when they left; sunny and warm. The pilot put the small craft down on the same grass field as on their last visit, not far from the former drifter colony shelters. However, that would have been the case of if there still was a grass field. Instead, the landing gear touched the tarmac of a modest spaceport, partially in the shadow of the largest building Korso had ever seen. Preed and Gune were also baffled by the size of this monstrosity but the size really hit them when they left the shuttle and inhaled the fresh air of New Earth. Its massive base was already finished and in use by the looks of it. Looking up, they could see the swarming drones slowly but surely working their way up. Attached to the left side of the tower was a large domed structure which didn't have walls on one side and looked out of place in terms of color and style. It appeared to be an auditorium.

"Jesus Christ."

Preed frowned and looked as if he had just heard his Captain say something disgusting.

"I beg your pardon, Captain?"

"It's a human expression, Preed. I just don't know what to say. I thought you knew."

"I see."

The Akrennian still didn't seem to fully understand.

"Have a good day, sir," the pilot said. "I'll be heading up again."

"Same to you."

Korso smiled. While watching the shuttle leave, he hadn't even noticed another one coming when the tower had caught their undivided attention. Stith, Kero and another Mantrin he didn't recognize walked up to them.

"Impressive," Stith said, gazing up at the top of the building. "I don't think this was there the last time we were here, was it?"

"Captain, I don't believe you've met my First Officer Rilas yet."

"Joseph Korso's the name."

"Pleasure," Rilas said with a slight nod. His eyes however looked past him and narrowed. "And you are?"

There was a bit of contempt in his voice that Korso didn't fail to notice.

"That's Preed, my First Mate and the little genius here is Gune, my navigator," he replied quickly, before something ugly could happen. Rilas remained silent and just stared at Preed for a moment, his eyes now fully narrowed to slits, his tail lashing slowly from left to right. The Akrennian looked back in a similar way and didn't say anything either. "Let's check up on Cale and Akima first," Korso broke through the tension Rilas created.

He added deeds to his words by taking a few steps in the direction of the tower.

"We'll just follow you," Kero agreed, signaling his officers.

"Don't pay any attention to Preed," Stith whispered in Rilas' ear. "He's not worth it."

Upon entering the vertical city, the building made an even roomier impression. They could look up as high as the building currently was and a lot of its structure was made of transparent materials. The windows were actually highly efficient transparent solar panels which provided more than half of the city's power. An information center with large screens showing all kinds of information stood in the center of this single lobby. The place wasn't very crowded but still kind of busy and not everyone was human. New Earth seemed to have attracted the attention of other races already. Korso walked up to a young woman behind a desk that was currently available.

"May I help you?" she asked in a friendly manor.

"Yes, Joseph Korso's the name. I've just arrived and I'm looking for someone; Cale Tucker?"

"One of the Founders? Hmm."

Tapping a few virtual buttons on one of the translucent screens in front of her she retrieved his location.

"Mister Tucker is currently in the Senate. It's the large domed building clearly seen from the outside of the _Heliopolis_. Shall I inform Mister Tucker of your coming?"

"Please. One question, the _Heliopolis_?"

She smiled.

"Ah yes, the city needed a name and someone came up with the name _Heliopolis_. When the sun reaches its highest point, the city's internal structure allows the rays to fall straight down to reach every level, providing them with a natural light source during the day. It's a form of symbolism."

"Interesting."

"One second," the woman said, pressing her earpiece. "Info center three to Mister Tucker."

"Go ahead?" Cale's voice sounded over the com.

"I have someone here for you. His name's Joseph Korso."

"Korso!" Cale's voice sounded excited. "Sure, I'm in the Senate. Did he bring some friends?"

Korso bowed over the desk and replied himself.

"Hi kid. Good news. We brought a Mantrin ambassador to Earth."

"See you in a minute," Cale replied with a laugh. "Tucker out."

Thanking the co-worker he looked up from the desk at the Mantrins. Kero smiled.

"After you."

"No, no, no, all wrong, all wrong! Do you really think you can let a Mantrin sit next to an Akrennian without risking the life of the Akrennian when things get rough?"

"Sorry Mister Tucker. My mistake."

The positions of the different races in the Senate were perhaps the most important aspect of the whole thing. There was no perfect set-up but there were better ways to prevent casualties during heated discussions. He and Akima had been entrusted with this important task and Cale wanted to have everything in perfect order well before it was actually going to happen. Akima sighed and sat down in the row of the future Indarian delegation. They had hardly taken any breaks since they got here so it was time for one.

"C'mon Cale, easy. We've got plenty of time, so relax. I haven't seen a single representative yet."

"I know, sorry. But the fact that the Mantrin ambassador is here already is making me nervous." Making his way to Akima through the rows he told everyone to take a short break. "I guess it has something to do with the first time I ran into Stith. I'll never forget that."

"I admit, she has her cranky moments but hey, I got along with her just fine. Both her hearts are in the right place."

"Forget it." He sat down next to her on the wooden border of the row, letting his gaze glide over the emptiness of the giant circular hall. In a few days the Senate would be filled with the representatives of a couple of different worlds for the first time. "I wanna have this whole alliance established as soon as possible."

"Can't say I disagree but you gotta keep your head cool, Cale."

Maybe she was right. He took a deep breath and tried to follow her advice for a moment until he heard the sound of a familiar voice behind him.

"Hi kid, how are ya? Nice place you got here."

Turning around on his spot he looked straight into the smirking face of Korso who stood there with his arms crossed and the remaining _Valkyrie_ crewmembers on his sides. He looked just the way he looked the first time they met with that worn leather jacket around his shoulders and the toothy grin on his face. The Mantrins quietly waited behind him.

"It's fine Korso. But if I had a choice, if would have chosen a less stressful life."

"Yeah kid, unfortunately we don't choose our lives so make the best out of what you've got."

Cale jumped up, a little agitated by his choice of words.

"Hey, let's get this one thing straight. I'm not a kid anymore. My name's Cale, in case you forgot."

Korso just kept smiling.

"I'll just keep calling you that if you keep behaving like one."

Ignoring the argument between the two men, Akima stood up when she noticed her friend among the three Mantrins and walked up the slope between the rows. She was surprised to see her wear the same uniform. Stith once told her about her experiences as an Imperial Guard officer when they did cargo hauling but she also remembered her saying that she would never wear that uniform again.

"Welcome back, Prince Kero," she said, making a very slight bow.

The Mantrin Prince smiled back at her.

"Miss Kunimoto, I told you it wasn't a definite farewell."

"Akima."

"Just Kero for you remember? Meet my new First Officer."

"I'm Rilas, from the House of Eyani."

The other male Mantrin from the same race as her friend smiled. He looked and sounded like a nice guy, his voice low like most Mantrins had.

"Pleased to meet you Rilas. Stith, it's good to see you too. Back on duty I see."

Laughing, Stith waved away her comment.

"I know, I know, I told you I'd never wear a uniform again but this fella here changed my mind."

She patted Kero on the back.

"Whoa, don't go blaming me now."

"It might be a different ship but no matter how far away we might go, I'll always remain your friend, Akima. And don't you dare forget it."

Placing her hand with the firm grip on her shoulder, she squeezed gently.

"I know and I won't."

She looked down the rows at the two men who were still arguing. Not that she cared, as long as they did it in their own time.

"Shall we get to the point? Korso? Cale?" Raising her voice seemed to work as she had them listening right away. "We weren't expecting you so soon. In fact we're not expecting the remaining representatives to arrive until four days from now."

"That's okay," Kero said. "I don't think my crew will mind. I think they'll enjoy themselves perfectly around here. Maybe we can establish a permanent Imperial presence on Earth to encourage further relationships with your people. If that's okay with you."

"Can't see why not," Akima replied with a laugh. "Though you shouldn't talk to me about that. But we're straying. Just because we still have four days doesn't mean we can just sit and relax. In fact, a former top secret project is about to become public in the next few days. We're gonna test four prototypes in about two days from now."

Korso raised an eyebrow.

"I've seen people working on lots of projects but now you've got my curiosity. What exactly are we talkin' about here? Did I miss somethin' important?"

"You've been gone for a full week Joseph. In your absence, we've been working together with an entire corps of engineers on an extremely sophisticated piece of technology." Her voice suddenly got a mysterious undertone. She didn't seem willing to let go of any details. "I'm gonna be flying one in two days."

Later that day, Akima, Cale and Korso sat together with Jason, Commander Winter and an entire corps of engineers around the table in one of the conference room on one of the higher levels of the _Heliopolis_. The city had almost anything to sustain and comfort its expected population of nine million people. Luxurious apartments, shopping malls, supermarkets, gardens; it was all part of the massive superstructure. The Internal Computer System or ICS for short would be up and running in a few days. This advanced system was designed to monitor the entire city and serve as a powerful aid to the inhabitants. But next to all the facilities designed to make everyone's lives more comfortable, there was also enough room for people to perform their jobs with just a little help from some of the most advanced technologies available. Though warm natural light fell in through the windows on the table in the middle, the room had a bit of a chilly and businesslike appearance that perfectly fit its function.

"The _Dominator_," one of the engineers began, pointing at the schematic on the large screen hanging against one of the walls. "It's an advanced multi-purpose craft capable of traversing air, sea and space without the need of a pilot. Most of the time it will be a computer controlled drone capable of engaging enemy fighters in large numbers. The absence of a pilot in combat is a major advantage since high G maneuvers that would normally squeeze the life out of any person are just one of its specialties. However Miss Kunimoto's idea to install an inertial stabilizer system also allows for use as a short-range autonomous rescue craft in case of an emergency. A pilot can use the override to fly the craft manually." He paused. "We have four prototypes and four pilots ready to go in two days. During the test flight we can work out any bugs in the craft's computer and mechanical systems. All of the data from its sensors will be relayed back to the surface where it can be analyzed in real-time."

"Excellent work," Jason praised.

"If this works we have our first real weapons ready against the Machines," Korso added. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "What about weapons? Sure you equipped them with more than a standard pea shooter."

"Ah yes, weapons. Two double linked rapid-fire laser cannons, a small point defense laser for added fire support and for destroying incoming missiles and guided torpedoes plus the two forward torpedo launchers to take care of enemies in submerged mode. It also has a special type of armor capable of deflecting light energy weapons fire. That good enough for you?"

Korso merely smirked in response.

"I'm really impressed with your work," Akima said.

"Thank you ma'am," the man said proudly. "But it wouldn't have been possible without the team. Something else, since you and Mister Tucker will be two of the lucky ones to inaugurate them I wanna ask if you've been flying with the simulator these days?"

Akima chuckled.

"Don't worry about the flying part. Cale and I have had some hours of simulator time. As always, it's never the same as the real thing. I can't wait to try it."

"We'll find out in two days. Tomorrow you'll be briefed on the mission."

"All I can say is: Let's do this thing."

After everyone left the room Akima and Korso stayed behind. Akima sat down on the table's edge, swinging her leg back and forth, looking at her former Captain.

"Since this is our home, I suggest you find yourself an apartment. You'll find it pretty comfortable."

"Well, you know what Akima; I have no intention of staying long. My place is in space remember?"

"Just do it Joseph, you won't regret it. Besides, I'm not gonna let you sleep over at my place."

Korso frowned and crossed his arms.

"Now what is that supposed to mean?" She shot him a look that said more than a thousand words. "All right, all right, I get it. You're still mad at me. I don't blame ya. Just show me."

When Akima opened the door of the apartment, Korso was impressed with the amount of space it offered. A large living room, a bathroom, small kitchen, -or he could just order something or eat in one of the city's many restaurants- bedroom and a spare room that with a little bit of imagination could be whatever he wanted. It was all very open, high-tech build and the windows allowed for a lot of natural sunlight to enter the room making it relatively bright. Korso's apartment was on the twenty-sixth floor, not far from Cale and Akima's place. Turning on the large ultra flat screen in the living room that looked like a television set from old times he flopped down on the couch on the opposite side, placed his hands in his neck and rested his head on his arms in a relaxed way.

"Television is strangely something I missed on the _Valkyrie_. Typical. TV is kind of a human thing, don't you think?"

"Well, I've seen similar things on other worlds but it's not as colorful as compared to our version." She shook her head, her purple bangs playfully dancing in front of her face. "Korso, maybe you should think about what you wanna do next. I was thinking. With our fleet being rebuild as we speak, maybe you should consider flying under an Earth flag again."

Korso slowly turned his head in her direction. He was visibly thinking about it but she knew him longer than today and the answer was just as she expected.

"Depends. What's in it for me?"

"Well, if you're looking for a well-paid job you've gotta look elsewhere, but why? We have everything we need right here. You know what Jason told me? Acquiring wealth isn't a goal in the lives of the humans on his Earth anymore. Maybe that's not a bad thought."

"Hmm, the _Valkyrie_ is in space dock for at least a week. I'll think about it."

"Here." She tossed him a new wristcom linked to the _Heliopolis' _com system. "If you need me, just give me a call."

"I'll manage." He stood up and turned off the TV. "I think I'm gonna take a hike. This place is just too freakin' amazing to just sit here and do nothing. But first I'm gonna look up my crew." He had some idea of where they could be hanging around. Preed's place of choice was likely to be a bar and Gune was probably trying to break into a science lab or something. After locking down the door he turned to Akima for one last time. "How about dinner in one of the restaurants tonight? You me and Cale?"

Akima raised an eyebrow.

"Joseph, I'm not sure if that's such-"

"I insist."

"All right," she replied slowly, not sure what he was planning. Turning around he walked away without looking back. "You pick one!" she called after him. _"Gotta find Cale first,"_ she thought, bringing her wristcom to her mouth.

After Cale told her he was outside, Akima took one of the many transparent elevators and headed down to the ground level. Cale had promised to do something with her after work and she wanted him to keep that promise because they hadn't really done anything fun together for a few days. Leading a busy life meant making some sacrifices but she didn't want to sacrifice her entire social life because of it. Surprisingly she ran into Stith on her way outside.

"Hey Akima, you humans gotta nice place here. But eh, I seem to have lost my Captain. Last time I had contact he told me he had seen something and wanted to buy it. Said something strange about exchange of culture or something and hmm."

She shrugged.

"I haven't seen him but I'm looking for Cale. He told me to meet outside. Maybe you should try contacting him again."

"I'll try," Stith sighed. "Stith to Kero, did you go back up or something?"

"No, no, I'm outside with Cale," his holographic image replied. "I've got a minor technical issue my chief engineer was unable to solve. Nothing really important but maybe Cale can take a look at it."

"Did you get what you wanted?"

"What? Oh that. Yeah you should see it."

"Tell Cale I'm bringing Akima. Stith out." She sighed. "There, problem solved. Now I'm curious though."

The two women found their lovers chatting in the shadow of the trees surrounding the city. Kero however wasn't wearing his uniform shirt. When they approached the two men, it was the Mantrin who crossed her arms and spoke first.

"Kero, what are you wearing?"

Turning around to face her he smiled and spread his muscular arms.

"Looks nice, doesn't it? It's called a polo shirt. Not sure what it means but I liked it."

Instead of the standard Imperial uniform, the Prince wore a yellow polo shirt with blue horizontal stripes. It was really colorful and gave him a more casual look. She had to admit it looked good on him.

"Size triple XL probably since there aren't a lot of humans that are that big."

Squeezing his eyes together he acted insulted.

"Just a double X young lady, I'm not that fat," he said quasi-indignantly. "I'm just a bit more muscular than our human friends. Ain't that right Cale?"

He patted the young man on his back with such force that Cale would have sunk into the ground up to his ankles if they had been standing on dirt.

"A bit he says," Cale groaned.

"Careful with that!" Stith warned him. "Humans are not as sturdy as we are."

"Oh, I beg your pardon Cale. I guess I forget my own strength sometimes."

"That's all right." Rubbing his shoulder, he still tried to smile. "I'm gonna take a look at that phase inverter."

Now it was Akima's turn to object.

"Cale, you promised we would do something together."

"Darn, I almost forgot!" he said, slapping himself on the forehead. "It'll only take a minute."

"Yeah, we'll be back before you know it."

They both started walking to the shuttle but before they could take three steps someone caught up with them.

"Oh no, you don't!" It was Stith who grabbed Kero's left ear and pulled him back. "You promised me too."

Grabbing her arm he tried to free his ear but she didn't let go that easily. Not willing to risk losing that ear he had to walk with her.

"Aoh! Aoh! No, no, no, not the ear! Stop! Stop!" Though he acted a little, it did hurt and when she finally let go he became more serious. "Stith, Akima, it'll only take a minute. I promise we'll be back in less than an hour. Besides we still have the rest of the afternoon and the evening, right?"

With a deep sigh Stith finally gave in with the approval of Akima.

"One hour and not a minute later. You don't want me to come and get you."

The look on her face said more than her words. Cale looked a little uneasy and held up his hand in defense.

"Whoa, don't worry. I've learned from the first time. One hour."

They both left, leaving the women behind. Stith and Akima kept staring at their backs with a disapproving look on their faces. Stith snorted derisively.

"Men!" they both said at the same time.

Then they looked at each other and laughed.

"Well, now we gotta find something else to have fun with."

"Shall we look up a bar?" Stith suggested.

"I know a good place."

"Kero can be so goofy sometimes," Stith said in an amused way.

Akima grinned and chuckled.

"He's cute."

"Yeah, that's what I told him before and it ain't right. 'Cute' is not word people use often when they're talkin' about us. And it's supposed to be that way."

"Oh c'mon Stith. Are cranky, grouchy, easily angered and short-tempered more preferred?"

Her friend merely grunted.

"And what would you call me then?"

"Do I have to pick one of those four?"

She laughed when Stith pushed her in a playful manor, though she had trouble staying on her feet.

"Now what did Cale mean by 'the first time'?" Stith said on the way back.

"I think Cale still doesn't feel right about the first time you and he met."

Stith shrugged and snorted.

"_He_ is the one who got in _my_ way."

"Stihith!"

"What? I can be cranky sometimes, so what? How about you try to be the target of Preed's annoying comments for a full day. See what it does to your mood."

Akima laughed.

"I think I'll pass."


	19. Chapter 17 First Flight

**First Flight**

* * *

"Morning everyone."

"Morning sir."

A general mood of cheerfulness dominated the room during the briefing. The _Dominator_s and their pilots were ready for their first test flight. This project was a finished first step in building a defense against the Machines and other hostile races with similar intentions. A few high-ranking officers of the provisional Earth military were present as were Jason, Chrysta and the people most involved with the project. When an Admiral requested everyone's attention, the room fell silent.

"As much as I like to get straight to the point there's something I wanna say first. The moment I set foot on our new homeworld for the first time I hoped that the first thing we would accomplish here was creating a comfortable and peaceful place to live. It sounds a bit strange but I'm a bit sad to see that the first finished project is yet another machine used to wage war. However it proved to be a necessity. More than ever are we being forced to defend ourselves and with good reason. We cannot again risk losing what we're currently trying to rebuild; our planet and way of life." The man paused, his gaze gliding over each of the attendants. Nobody moved an inch. "That's why I hope that this first flight will be a success. I want applause for all the men and women who have helped developing this craft. May it not be just another machine used to wage war but as strange as it may sound a first step toward real peace throughout the quadrant. A first line of defense against anything that threatens that idea."

Everyone in the room stood up and applauded.

"There's only truth in his words," Korso whispered to Akima.

"I hope we'll get to the peace part soon."

After everyone sat down another officer began the actual briefing.

"Tomorrow's flight will test all of the craft's and pilot's capabilities by pushing them to their limits. We've specifically designed the test to work out any bugs in the _Dominator_'s systems and make sure it's ready to perform on its own. We'll be monitoring every nanosecond of your flight and review the telemetry in real-time. Each test unit is equipped with advanced sensors, allowing us to monitor all systems and the condition of the pilots and take control in case a problem arises that can't corrected by the pilot. As a matter of speaking, we'll fly you through it. Are there any further questions?"

"If anything does goes wrong what do we do?" Akima asked.

"If anything goes wrong, we'll help you to correct the problem during flight. If it can't be corrected, you will RTB immediately. If all else fails, you'll bail out in an instant. We can spare a craft but we can't spare any pilots at the moment. Pilot goes first. Clear?"

"Understood."

"More questions?" When nobody replied he signaled two men to stand up. The older one was obviously an experienced veteran. His unshaved face wore the scars of battle but he didn't look like the unfriendly type. "Miss Kunimoto, Mister Tucker, I wanna introduce you to your wingmen. This is Lieutenant Commander Hawkins. He will be your squad leader for the mission and I expect you to follow his orders at all times, understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Todd Hawkins, pleasure to meet ya."

"You've got experience," Akima concluded, admiring him instantly. Hawkins smiled naughtily.

"I've flown in the battle for Earth. Try holdin' off a couple dozen Drej stingers with only three squadrons."

"Guess you were having a hard time."

"Didn't try. Just did it. Had no choice anyway."

Their other wingman was named Kevin Hestler, a younger pilot, likely chosen for the same reasons Akima was. Because he was just as eager to spread his wings and feel the freedom of the sky and the void above.

"Kevin Hestler, I'm looking forward to working with you guys." "And with the lady of course," he said with a wink toward Akima.

"We'll make an excellent team," Cale said.

"Pilots I wish you all success and good luck on the mission."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Dismissed!"

Shortly after Cale and Akima left the room and headed toward the nearest elevators to take one down to the lower levels, Korso stepped in just before the doors closed.

"Guess what."

"What happened to you?"

"I just had a word with the Admiral. He said he would consider my request to join the fleet. Don't say anything. I thought I'd give it a chance, starting a new life here on Earth."

The elevator started to descend rapidly but without making its passengers feel a thing.

"Look at that. You decided to follow my advice after all. Trust me, you won't regret it."

"Maybe not. It might work out better for me too. Besides, who wants to go with me trotting the universe with all of this going on lately? This is paradise, why leave?"

"_Now_ you're thinking straight."

She gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Maybe Preed and Gune are interested too in staying on Earth. Got nowhere else to go anyway."

"Good plan. Even though I never liked Preed, no one deserves a life of slavery."

"Depends," Cale added dryly.

His remark hit Korso in a sore spot unnoticed. He was in for the money as well as his treacherous First Mate and if Preed hadn't been stabbing behind his back, he would have succeeded and the human race would still be without a planet.

"I'll tell 'em." The elevator had reached his desired level. "Good luck tomorrow. I'll be watching you."

"Hey Korso," Cale called after him. "Say hi to Gune for me will ya?"

The man nodded at the last moment before he walked off to the most likely place to find his crew.

It was late in the morning on flight day and the weather conditions were excellent. Four pilots in full flight suit walked in a row next to each other on the smooth tarmac pre-heated by the Andali sun. A large group of people had gathered on the spaceport to watch the takeoff of one of the most advanced fighter craft in the entire galaxy. The crowd was composed mainly of humans but the Mantrins and a few other aliens didn't want to miss the show either. Prince Kero and Captains Ma'zan and Jah'len were present together with a small portion of their crews. The small command tower on the spaceport served as ground control for the mission during atmospheric flight while the command center in the orbital facility would function as mission control for the space part. All of the craft's functions were monitored in real-time in these control centers as were the pilots' conditions. But for now, everyone's attention was fixed at the pilots and the four _Dominators_ standing on the runway. Though there wasn't really a need for a runway because of the craft's vertical takeoff ability, they would go with a normal takeoff as it caused less stress on both the craft and pilot. The fighters were beautiful in some way. A sleek, compact flying wing design with invisible weapon systems and two sets of integrated ion engines. The two outer exhaust nozzles were smaller than the inner ones, triangular in shape and protected by armor. When in submerged mode the nozzles were automatically closed by an internal valve system to prevent the engines from flooding. Two small but very powerful jet propellers would take care of underwater propulsion.

When Akima stood in front of her fighter, admiring its looks, her thoughts flashed back to her Academy days. This machine was no bucket of bolts however and deserved to be treated with respect. They didn't know each other yet. She hadn't felt what it was capable of. A simulator was in no way a replacement.

"Don't get overconfident up there."

His voice sounded a little mocking to her ears.

"Oh c'mon Joseph. I never got overconfident flying the _Valkyrie_ or any other ship for that matter. Why would this be any different?"

When she realized how that sounded she calmed down a bit. It was meant well. He waved her response away with his hand.

"You're right, I shouldn't have bothered."

"It's all right." She sighed and climbed into the cockpit. It was small but made as comfortable as possible. Getting reacquainted with the controls, she put on her slim light-weight helmet and closed the blue-tinted visor with a slight tap on the side. "A simulator isn't half as much fun as the real thing."

"I'm gonna check up on Cale, see how he's doing. Good luck."

"Thanks."

Cale sat in his cockpit too, running all the pre-flight checks and readying his _Dominator_ for the sky and beyond. He didn't even seem to notice him until he was standing right next to the craft.

"Sure you can fly this thing, kid?"

Opening the visor of his helmet with a tap he shot him an annoyed look.

"Hey, how many times do I have to tell you that I can fly too? And that I don't wanna be called 'kid' anymore?"

"Cale, lighten up. I'm teasing ya. I know you can fly this baby."

Cale merely tapped to the side of his helmet.

"Zip it, Korso."

With their cockpits closed all pilots ran a final systems check. With everything green across the board it was time to wake up the beasts.

"Ground control to squad leader, do you read me squad leader?"

"GC, this is Hawkins, we read ya."

"Ground control to _Dominator_ squadron do you read?"

"This is Tucker, acknowledged."

"Kunimoto, confirmed."

"Hestler here, I'm ready."

"Cleared to begin pre-ignition sequence. All systems secure."

"Copy that GC. Beginning pre-ignition sequence now." Just by tapping a button on their consoles, the ion-matrix in each fighter jumped to life. They could feel the amount of raw power beginning to flow behind their seats. The spectators outside could hear the sound rising to a high-pitched tone before eventually holding steady at a stationary hum. "Primary drive systems online."

"Ready to go, sir," Kevin said, a good portion of enthusiasm in his voice.

"Okay pilots, we've got one more surprise for you." On the transparent HUD's of the pilots two more green dots lined up behind the four that represented their fighters. "Actually two surprises. These two here will be your mechanical wingmen. They're completely computer controlled and will be flying with you for the duration of the test. You're cleared for take-off."

The two fighters standing side by side at the front were Todd's and Akima's. The experienced fighter pilot looked aside and raised his thumb.

"Ready?"

"You kiddin'? I was born for this."

"Yeah? Then show me."

When Akima pushed the throttle control forward the craft responded immediately without any sluggishness. The sudden forward motion came as a surprise to her, the rapid acceleration pressing her into the pilot's seat.

"_Definitely not the same as the simulator,"_ she thought, biting her teeth. Her fighter rapidly accelerated over the runway and didn't need a lot of speed to move up. When her HUD informed her that she had gathered enough forward momentum to get airborne, she gently pulled the flexible joystick the pull the nose up. When she could no longer feel the miniscule vibrations of the wheels on the tarmac and the landing gear retracted into the _Dominator's _fuselage she got that feeling again. That exhilarating feeling whenever she flew and there was nothing to stop her from enjoying it. She gained height rather quickly. Holding back on throttle she leveled out at about four thousand feet. Shooting a quick glance to her right, Todd flew right next to her. "Great isn't?"

"You crazy? It's terrific! Whooohooo!"

Breaking formation he forced his _Dominator_ into a barrel roll. It didn't take long for four more green dots to join theirs on the HUD.

"Hey there Akima. How're you doing?"

"Like a spoiled kid with a new toy Cale, this thing's a beauty. Fastest bird I ever flew."

"And she's can fly one hell of a lot faster," Todd added, maneuvering in front of the squad. He laughed like the spoiled kid Akima just mentioned. "Follow me if you can." Pulling hard to the right, he opened up on throttle for a quick boost of speed. But even after performing the wildest maneuvers he couldn't shake his team. In fact, they managed to keep up with him easily. "You guys are good."

Akima couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"Eh, Todd? You're forgetting the fact that this thing has a target tracking mode."

Todd scoffed.

"And you tricked me into thinking you were good."

"I am, that's why I scout out all the options before flying."

Kevin laughed.

"She's got a point there, sir."

"When you're finished stunt flying you should focus on the test flight," mission control interrupted, spoiling the fun a bit.

"Sorry sir, just testing the _Dominator_'s potential to fly an air race," Hawkins quickly made up.

"I'd love to see the report, Commander. No one encountered any problems so far?"

"Maybe it's just me but my fighter's handling is just a bit sluggish," Cale said, making a few slight maneuvers.

"That's a negative, Tucker. Your lateral stabilizer is off by two percent. Compensating… Better?"

"Confirmed."

"All right, let's play a game of follow the leader. We've placed the drones under our control now. We want you to follow them to the sea at supersonic speed. Then you'll switch to _Sea Dominator_ mode and dive in. We've set up a number of targets under water for you to destroy. Use your torpedoes to take 'em out."

The two drones moved in front of their squadron to take the lead. Akima found it rather odd to see the two fighters flying without a pilot. Just an empty cockpit, completely controlled by either and AI or in this case, from a chair behind a console on the ground.

"Activating supersonic mode." In this mode the fighter's wings slightly retracted to make it more aerodynamic. Of course in space this wouldn't matter but during atmospheric flight it was necessary to limit hull stress at high velocities. When Akima engaged the afterburners the massive burst of speed pushed the fighter forward with speeds over two-thousand miles an hour. It was hard to recognize anything outside her cockpit at this speed. She had never flown this fast inside an atmosphere under the gravitational force of a planet. "My… God," she groaned between clenched teeth.

On the ground at the runway, the squadron was long out of sight and the crowd began to dissolve. One of the things in life Stith considered annoying was waiting. She could barely wait for this whole business here to finish to kick some butt. The small battle on the way to Earth had really unleashed the warrior inside of her and she felt the need to shoot something rather badly. Unfortunately that was a problem right now. The rest of the crews had either gone back to their ships or headed for the _Heliopolis_ to get a drink and some entertainment. That meant a private moment with her Captain and beloved one and it wasn't hard to read the expression on his face. It was the same as hers.

"What shall we do today?" he asked, shrugging his massive shoulders.

"I wanted to ask you the same question," she said wearily. "I hate waiting. It's getting kinda boring here."

He laughed at her remark.

"D'you mind if we just take a walk?"

Stith's face brightened up.

"Not a bad idea. I haven't seen anything except the city. And it gives me some time to think about how to spend the rest of these dull days."

"Maybe..."

"What?"

"Maybe you can ask Jason."

"What does he have to do with it?"

"I dunno. I heard his people got some interesting holo tech. A simulation environment. You might be able to practice your shooting in there."

She didn't know how he did it but he managed to completely cheer her up. A faint smile crept along her face.

"Now we're talkin'."

A couple of miles off shore above one of the vast oceans, the six _Dominator_s exited supersonic mode and reduced their speed to normal.

"Squadron to GC, we have arrived at the designated coordinates."

"Copy that. You have your instructions Commander."

"Aye sir, switching to _Sea Dominator_ mode."

The ion drives of all six fighters went offline, the exhausts automatically sealing. Instead of the primary drive systems, they switched to high-powered propeller jets and thanks to the fighter's design it was still fast and highly maneuverable under the water surface.

"_Sea Dominator_ mode engaged," Akima said over the com.

"Confirmed." The craft now flew only on its remaining momentum and all pilots and the drones hit the brakes while bringing the nose down to the clear shimmering water surface. "Contact in three… two… one… mark."

The fuselage cut through the water surface like a knife through butter. Its design allowed the ship to dive into the water at relatively high speed without crushing pilot and craft on impact. Because of the speed at which they hit the water, they ended up a couple of dozen meters under the surface. Pulling up to a straight level they remained in formation and held a steady speed. In addition to the standard multi-spectral sensors, an additional advanced sonar system further aided the pilots in navigating under water. It didn't take long for the system to detect the weak EM signatures of the practice targets a couple of hundred meters ahead. Two powerful front search lights automatically activated to reveal something of the environment. Daylight penetration was low and if they ventured into deeper water, visibility would drop to zero. They would have to rely on their sensors only to do the viewing. The _Dominator_ could reach a maximum depth of six hundred meters and up to two thousand with reinforced structural integrity.

"Quite exciting isn't it?" Cale said over the com.

"I'm gonna ask command if I can get a private version of one of these."

"Don't count on it yet, Miss Kunimoto," ground control interrupted.

"Yet! That's all I wanted to hear," she replied with a laugh.

"Your fighters should automatically switch weapon systems when operating under water. Just pull the trigger to fire your torpedoes when the target is within range. Careful though, you only have the limited number of twelve of these mini torpedoes in your launch tubes. Their strength is fairly impressive, so keep some distance between the target. Now finish 'em off!"

About a minute later the _Dominator_ squadron entered the set-up underwater shooting range. The target drones moved at different heights and speeds so shooting them wouldn't be too easy. Since the _Dominator_ was specifically designed to operate on its own, the targeting system wouldn't lock on to a target already painted by another.

"Pick your targets," Hawkins ordered. "Good hunting."

All six fighters broke formation and locked on to the chosen targets by themselves. Akima was in her element. Moving the craft within range of the first target she pulled the trigger. The small torpedo exited the launch tube and intercepted its target at high speed. It didn't take long for it to catch up. There was a flash followed by a large underwater explosion and the target disappeared from her HUD.

"That one's out of commission."

"Nice shot. I got one too."

"Another one here."

"Target destroyed, moving on to the next one."

Especially the two younger men had trouble keeping their excitement under control.

"See if we can make it a little more exciting?" mission control came in.

Suddenly the drones began to move faster and their movements became more erratic as they now tried to evade their attackers. Akima had already picked another victim and so did the others. Making a sharp left turn she pushed hard on the throttle, chasing the drone behind a rock formation. _Oh no, you're not_. She made another sharp turn to follow the mechanical bullseye to the other side, driving it back into open water. _Now._ Pulling the trigger she sent off a little gift. However the explosion that followed collapsed part of the rock formation. Responding lightning fast and thanks to the _Dominator_'s incredible handling she was able to evade the falling rocks in time. _Gotta be careful with that._ Listening to the com with one ear, the others seemed to have destroyed a few more targets as well. After a couple more minutes of playing Search & Destroy, none were left.

"It was a good hunt," Todd admitted.

They had destroyed quite a few targets each but their score was nothing compared to that of the drones. Both human and computer had destroyed an equal number of targets in the same amount of time but there were four pilots and only two computers. Akima scoffed.

"You think? Our fighters automatically lock on and even anticipate the best moment to pull the trigger. Now where's the skill in that?"

"Got a point. These machines have no need for human pilots anymore."

"I could take out a hundred enemies like this," Cale said.

Kevin laughed.

"Yeah, but everyone can shoot a drone. A real target shoots back."

"All right everyone, let's move on to the next item on our checklist. Ground control, we're ready to proceed."

"Your next test will be switching to _Space Dominator_ mode and activating the strato-fighter boosters. Again, we've set up a number of targets for you to destroy using your laser cannons. In turn these things will shoot back with dummy missiles and low-powered laser cannons to test the _Dominator_'s defensive capabilities and its reflective armor. Don't get caught."

"Hawkins here, we're heading out of the wet stuff and up into the vacuum. Follow me!"

Pulling back the stick he moved up the nose of his fighter, the rest of his team including the drones in pursuit. Prepping the ion thrusters for re-activation they sped upwards to build up speed, their surroundings becoming brighter and brighter as they raced toward the water surface.

_**Authors note: Music track 13 (Dominator Flight – (Busted – Year 3000))**_

The fighters popped out of the water like flying fish but these fish didn't get back in and activated their ion drives instead. Warm sunlight filled the cockpit and the air rushing over the window didn't give a single drop of water a chance. The propeller jets deactivated and the sudden massive burst of power from the ion engines pushed the craft upwards with astonishing speed and the pilots back into their seats.

"Switching to _Space Dominator_ mode," Cale said as they quickly gathered height, climbing toward the stars. The ocean was already far beneath them. "Activating strato-fighter boosters."

The craft's exhausts lit up brightly and the sudden acceleration was felt in every inch of his body despite the inertial dampening systems. They broke through the outer layers of the ionosphere only about a minute later.

"_Dominator_ squadron ,this is mission control from space station _Atlas_, do you read?"

"Loud and clear, sir."

"We'll be keep an eye on you during the space part of your test flight. Did you encounter any problems during your space entry?"

"Not at all. It was quite… invigorating."

"You call it invigorating. I call it sore muscles," Akima scoffed.

He laughed.

"Whatever. Anyway, bring it on."

"You should've received the coordinates for the targeting range. It's in the small asteroid belt bearing one-six-five mark zero-seven-eight. The asteroids should prove a little extra challenge for the targeting systems."

Maneuvering their ships through the planet's orbital facility, they slipped through the space between the docks, evading worker bees and installations.

"Let's open 'em up a bit!" Hestler said, going full throttle.

The others followed and raced through the docks at full speed, quickly leaving them behind for the openness of space. Now there was nothing to hold them back anymore and it didn't take long before they had reached the outer edges of the Andali asteroid belt that remained after the creation of the new planet. They narrowly missed one of the Starfleet ships that patrolled the sector on purpose and locked on to the drones floating between the moving chunks of rock. However these drones were armed and the erratic movements of the asteroids were a real challenge to both ship and pilot. There was more to it than locking and pulling the trigger this time.

"Weapons on full."

"Lasers locked on target. I'm goin' after 'em!"

Then everyone maintained com silence. Akima quickly slipped through the obstacles of the asteroid belt, dodging rocks, ice and other small pieces of debris, chasing the drone toward one of the larger asteroids.

"C'mon, faster, faster," she whispered to her fighter. The _Dominator_ responded flawlessly but before she could get a clean shot, the drone duck behind another rock to use as cover. _You cannot hide from me._ Pulling the trigger for a quick burst, the two sets of linked rapid-fire laser cannons blasted through the asteroid and took out the drone in the same streak. Blowing up another asteroid that happened to float in her way she locked on to the next target which launched a dummy guided missile at her. The small point defense laser turret on top of her fighter took care of the projectile before it could do any harm. Not that it could but if it were a real missile it would have saved her life. Trying to stay on its tail, she followed her second target deeper inside the asteroid field. _These things are fast. They're definitely not making this easy._

Again, just when she thought she had a clear shot it disappeared again, seeking cover behind a piece of rock. Another turn; she fired, and missed. Finally a piece of open space. "Gotcha now." But she realized too late that another drone had appeared right behind her with its lasers locked onto her fighter. She only knew when the alert sounded, her HUD flashed red and displayed the words 'weapons lock'. She could feel the impacts when the low-powered laser blasts reflected off her aft armor. "Damn it!" Lightning fast she came up with an idea. With enough clear space in front of her and nowhere to go for the aft drone she killed her engines and fired her thrusters at full power. The _Dominator_ made a vertical one eighty on the spot and now she found herself flying backwards with her weapons locked on target! She felt herself smile.

"Dodge this." Pulling the trigger, the devastating and accurate barrage of laser fire was enough to instantly take it out before it had the chance to fire again. The drone exploded into a ball of quickly dissipating fire, sending what little debris left slamming into the asteroids, spreading a shower of fine gravel in a circular dispersal pattern upon impact. _On to the next one._ Firing the primary engines again, she made a half loop and now faced two targets at once. But before she could get a lock or they had the chance to react, two of her wingmen came in from another direction and blew them both out of commission.

"Sorry Miss, this one's mine," Hawkins gloated over the com.

"And mine, that's three," Cale added.

"Hey, get your on target, before you become mine!" Setting off in pursuit, she began looking for another one. A few minutes later after all targets were destroyed the team safely left the asteroid field behind. The _Dominator_'s had performed well and the flight was a success. "I got four."

"Means you're one short," Hawkins replied with a laugh.

"I got five."

"Can it, Todd." She couldn't help but like his competitive attitude though. But now that he mentioned it Akima noticed that only one drone had followed their squadron back to the planet. "What happened to our second unmanned friend?"

The unfortunate answer came from mission control.

"Mission control to _Dominator_ squadron. Squadron come in."

Whoever it was up there in the space station, he sounded pretty upset.

"Hawkins here, we're fine. What's the problem?"

"It's the second drone, sir. We seem to have lost control somehow. Its targeting systems are acting up and now that the targets have been destroyed it's coming after you guys!"

"What?" Akima yelled. "I thought these things were safe!"

"They are and we can still monitor its condition but it's not responding to any of our commands. Could have been a collision with a piece of debris. At least that's what it looks like."

Just at that moment, Cale's fighter took a few hits. He immediately broke off and evaded before the drone could take another shot. It was coming up from behind and closing fast.

"Looks like he's after me!"

"Just blow it up!" Akima yelled.

"We can't! It's not responding."

This was a good time for suggestions. Closing her eyes for a split second she came up with a plan.

"Got it! Cale, turn around and head back into the field. It seems to have chosen you as its target!"

"Well, lucky me," he said with a tense voice, dodging more shots fired at him.

"Cale, listen to me. No time for jokes. Turn around and get back in there! Everyone else, head back to base."

"I hope you got this figured out."

Doing as she said he turned his fighter around and sped back to the asteroid belt at full burn, the berserk _Dominator_ drone in pursuit.

"You can't do this on your own, Akima," Hawkins warned her.

"Oh, yes I can."

The drone was like an angry bee on steroids. Every time Cale thought he bought himself a few seconds by taking the most irregular path between the asteroids, the drone managed to find some quicker way around it. _Better hope these things perform as admirably in real battle as they do now_. The drone just kept chasing and firing laser salvos that shattered asteroids around him and sent debris flying in every direction.

"Akima where are you? I could really use some help here!"

"I'm right behind your friend but your flight path isn't making this easy!"

"Well sorry for not letting him shoot me in the ass," he said quasi-indignantly.

"I'm right behind him. Just keep dodging until I can get a clear shot!" The drone started to take evasive action. _Its sensors must have painted me as another target_. She aimed for her first shot. Her first salvo partially missed but she managed to do some damage. "C'mon, c'mon!" she encouraged herself while aiming for another. But before she could fire again the four bright glowing exhausts disappeared behind another asteroid. When she turned to follow it was gone. _Now where did he go?_ Looking at her scanners which were having difficulty with the amount of metal in the asteroids, she tried to remain calm. The rocks reflected her scans partially back at her, resulting in sensor echoes. Too late she realized what the drone was up to.

The _Dominator_ trembled heavily, an explosion of sparks lighting up her cockpit. Her HUD flickered when the system suffered a power failure. "Blast!" She checked the damage. She could still use thrusters but her friend turned foe had managed to take out her weapons with a few precise shots and knocked her engines offline. "I wish they wouldn't have made these things so damned clever," she muttered in frustration. Just when she thought it couldn't get worse the drone came in from the front, aiming its weapons to deliver the final blow. "Eject, I must eject!" _Double check. Suit, helmet, secure._ It wasn't much but it would give her a chance. But when she pulled the ejection lever, nothing happened. It was jammed! "No! No! Not now!" There was a bright flash of light and an explosion close to her cockpit. The wreckage flew right over her fighter, missing the canopy by just a few inches before crashing into one of the larger asteroids behind her. Looking out the cockpit window she saw Todd and Cale flying through the remaining dissipating fire of the explosion and right over her head.

"I told ya you shouldn't have gone alone."

Akima let her breath escape with a sigh of relief.

"Right on time Todd, right on time."

The five remaining _Dominator_s landed safely on the tarmac of the spaceport. Removing her helmet, Akima let herself slide out of the cockpit. The fighter had taken quite a substantial amount of damage but was tough enough to bring her safely back down to the surface. Her flight suit stuck to her body and her hair was wet from the sweat. Cale looked just as terrible as she did, if not worse. The pilots all sat down on the grass on the edge of the runway. All the officials, project engineers and flight controllers came running toward them. Next moment they found themselves surrounded by all the people involved with the project. 'Are you all right?' 'What happened?' and 'Are you injured?' were just a tiny fraction of the questions asked.

"Debrief us in two hours. First I'm gonna fresh up a little. And get some air."

"Agreed, let's go team."

Walking back to the _Heliopolis_ Akima heard heavy footsteps catching up with her. She already knew who her follower was and wasn't surprised when she heard Stith's voice next to her.

"I heard what happened. You've got courage."

"It should never have happened," she replied a bit agitatedly.

"Still, it was an act of courage and quick thinking," Stith said on a tone that didn't leave room for a second opinion.

Her voice softened.

"Thanks Stith, you always manage to cheer me up."

"Hey, that's what friends are for," Stith said, giving her a pat on the back. "Eh, Cale may I have a word with you in private?"

Cale stopped and turned around. The prospect of spending a few minutes with her already seemed to have their effect on his facial expression.

"Can we do this at a later time please? I really wanna take a shower now."

"It'll only take a minute," she urged.

"Okay, but let's go back first." He didn't want to upset her because he already didn't feel fully comfortable around her when she was in a _good_ mood. Back inside the city Cale and Stith found themselves a spot they assumed was quiet. "All right, what's up?"

He looked down, not directly at her.

"I eh, don't know how to say this," Stith began, "but I sense, and Akima confirmed that you don't feel comfortable around me."

Cale was quiet for a moment. Right now he expected anything but this.

"Well eh, it's not that I don't like you or something but-"

"Look Cale," she interrupted. "Normally I wouldn't care about what others think of me. They can think what they want. Saying it is a different story." The sound of her voice softened, the usual growling undertone disappearing completely. "But Akima's my best friend and you're gonna be her husband and I don't want my best friend's husband to hate me."

He still didn't know what to say. He had never seen Stith this way. The Mantrin actually seemed to feel bad about the way they first met.

"That's not true, Stith. I don't hate you. It's just…"

"Just what? You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"You always seem so hostile. Most of the time I've known you as angry."

"Shall I tell you something Cale?" Her voice had gotten an undertone he had never heard from her before. "Those days I spent on Sogowa with Kero? I can't remember a time I felt happier in my entire life. All that anger I felt before suddenly disappeared. Those days made me realize I missed something in my life. You know what that thing was? Love, Cale. Love. You know what that is. You have Akima. You love her and she loves you. And now I've finally found what I was looking for the whole time without even knowing and all thanks to one guy. I'm not such a bad girl. Maybe I've given you that impression when we first met and if it'll make you feel any better, I'm sorry."

"I understand." He finally looked into her eyes. "How could I be so stupid," he said more to himself then to her. "You can't change the way you are. That's just you."

Stith smiled.

"Hey, it's true. Try Preed for a little longer than _you_'ve known him. Trust me. He'll get to you head and he'll remain there like a headache that never goes away."

"Now that's not very nice of you to say, Stith."

Flashing them his wolfish grin, he leaned against the nearest wall. And he just happened to be in the neighborhood.

"See what I mean?"

"I get the idea."

"How long have you been eves-dropping?" she barked, taking a dangerously big step in his direction.

"Eves-dropping? Me?" Trying to act like the innocent guy, he placing his hands on the filthy shirt covering his chest. "I wouldn't dare, my dear."

"Preed, beat it!"

"Don't worry. I wouldn't want to interrupt you little, intimacy," he said with the same slick voice.

Slowly he slit around the corner, which was a smart move as Stith's fist was balled and shaking. After she convinced herself -using her sharp hearing- that he was gone she looked at Cale again.

"To finish it, I forgive you Stith. I don't hate you, or your kind. I was probably overreacting."

Stith shook her head, sort of smiling.

"Oh come here you little hu-man." Firmly grabbing the young man she briefly hugged him. Cale didn't anticipate this. All he could do was let it go. "Settled?"

"Settled."

Giving him a rough pat on the back she left with a wink and a twitch of her ear.

"See ya around."

Shaking his head, Cale walked back to his apartment. He had just gotten himself a new friend, one he didn't know he already had.


	20. Chapter 18 Solutions to Problems

**Solutions to Problems**

* * *

Despite letting the crew work half shifts, the _Son of the Empire_ was still a starship and there were still a few standard tasks that had to be done. Kero tried to concentrate on what little work he had but he couldn't. His thoughts kept drifting off to things less boring than the reports waiting to be reviewed. _Status reports, status reports, status reports. Why do these things need my eyes first before putting them into the ship's log?_ Leaning back into his comfortable chair he wearily skipped through the pages of the holoscroll, unable to keep his thoughts with the content. The only things that jumped to his mind were ways to make this particular job more efficient, until they were disturbed by the gentle chime of the door. Figuratively crossing his fingers, he hoped for something else than more reports.

"Enter." A slender young Mantrinesse of the Fjetahna race timidly entered his ready room, taking careful steps. She was relatively small, even for her race but her young age was likely the cause of that. Her lighter belly contrasted with the overall light brown color of her skin, her black beak and darker shades around her gleaming orange eyes. Fjetahna were the only Mantrin race known to grow hair and she was a beautiful example of that. Aside from the long brown-reddish mane that reached down almost to the base of her extra long tail which ended in a fluffy plumed tip in the same color, she had two little black tufts on her ears. Her feet were smaller than most Mantrins had and more hoof-like, explained by the fact that her race was quite rare and many of them still lived in primitive tribes in the mountainous areas on their planet. However in recent years there had been more examples of these 'primitive' Mantrins that left their tribes to seek a modern life in cities. They had proved to be as intelligent as any other race and had no trouble integrating into modern society. "How are you doing today, Ensign?" Kero casually asked the young officer.

His eyes flashed to the holoscroll in her right clawed hand, which could be the only report he was _really_ waiting for. Staring tightly in front of her, she replied firmly.

"I'm okay, sir. Thank you."

By the tone of her voice he could determine that she had to be very young, almost too young to be here on his ship. Her voice still sounded too much like that of a girl. Her plumed tail nervously whipped from one side to another.

"Ensign, at ease, before you strain something."

Her shoulders slightly dropped to a more relaxed position but she was still a bit tense.

"My apologies that it took so long to complete the analysis, sir. I've been negligent in my duties and I'll accept punishment if that's what you think I deserve."

Kero flattened an ear in surprise. He could have sworn that she really believed he was going to eat her because that analysis took more time than anticipated.

"Ensign, relax," he said in a calming way, without trying to make it sound like an order. The young girl seemed to finally let go of the tense feeling and stopped whipping her tail. "What's your name?"

"I'm Kiké sir, from the House of Sijal," she said with a bit of pride in her voice.

She sounded a lot less tense now and her voice was almost childlike.

"Well Kiké, you have nothing to worry about. I've been a little negligent myself and look at this mess." He gestured at his desk where three more holoscrolls awaited reviewing. "I've already ordered the crew to run half shifts because there really isn't much do to except wait."

"Yes sir, I understand." She hesitated for a brief moment. "Here's the analysis you requested."

She confidently handed him the holoscroll. Not really knowing where to put her hands, she hid them behind her back for now. The first thing that attracted Kero's attention when he quickly scrolled through the pages was that the girl or whoever conducted the analysis did a pretty thorough job. The entire drone was dissected and the analysis explained the working of every component flawlessly and in great detail.

"Did you write this report? You did a good job."

"I'm partially responsible for the contents of the analysis, sir," she said proudly.

"I'll review it more deeply later but could you please summarize the most important aspects? I have to get this to Captain Pierce and the _Earth Defense Force_. Sit down." After gesturing at the chairs, she slowly approached the desk and carefully sat down on the right one. Kero who observed all of this couldn't quite figure out what was wrong. He could feel that she wasn't comfortable with being in his presence. _Something wrong with my face? Do I look frightening? Do I smell?_ "Ensign, what is wrong?" he asked with a flattened ear.

"Sir, I don't know what you mean," she stammered, hesitant to look him in the eyes.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"No it's just…"

"Just what?"

"You're not just my Captain but you're the Emperor's son and I don't quite know how to address you."

"Ah, so that's it!" Kero exclaimed triumphantly now that he finally squeezed an explanation out of her. "Well I might be a Prince but here aboard this ship I'm just your Captain and if you're having difficulty with that I have nothing against being a friend as well. I really don't want my officers to feel uncomfortable around me. I won't bite. Know what I mean?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, now fully relaxing.

"Besides, aren't you one of my bridge staff?"

He thought he just recognized something familiar in her childlike face.

"No sir, that's my sister Naea. She's already been in service for two years. We look very much alike."

"You're still very young aren't you?"

"Seventeen, sir. This is my first official assignment and I'm very excited to be aboard your ship."

Kero sighed. _She's still so young_. Most Mantrin races matured at the age of fifteen including hers. However joining the crew of a warship at such a young age was exceptional. Mantrins were very intelligent beings and even their younglings were capable of vocal communication at a decent level with their parents at the age of nine months. At the age of two all Mantrins joined public school and after eight years they could either study further or wait at least two years before being old enough to enter the Military Academy. After a four year training and reaching adulthood at the age of fifteen they were officers of the Imperial Guard. Though Kiké looked a bit too young to be on his ship, lying about her age wouldn't make it possible for her to enter the Academy so she had to be very eager to join a crew.

"_What's happening to us?"_ Kero asked himself. The only thing those youngsters seemed to want nowadays was enter the Academy as soon as possible to become a warrior. _Is fighting really the only thing my people care about?_ He decided to flush it out of his mind and continue with things that mattered right here and now. After she explained him the most important details of the enemy's weapon he had what he needed to inform the humans. "So these things communicate by using an interlink frequency which connects them to the carrier ship?"

"Which we believe is in turn controlled by their artificial intelligence."

"Hmm, if we can disrupt that frequency," he thought aloud.

"We've already considered the possibility sir, but these frequencies rotate randomly using a tri-phasic modulation. There's no way we can jam them. The only thing we can do is rotate our shield frequency to prevent them from boarding us."

"All right, thank you Kiké. I have what I needed. You're dismissed."

The Fjetahna girl stood up.

"Actually sir, my shift ended a few moments ago. I'm off duty for the rest of the day."

"Then I say, have fun. But if you like, you can come with me to the planet. You know a lot more about these things then I do," he said, waving the holoscroll in his hand.

She smiled, bearing her sharp white teeth.

"I'd love to, sir," she said with a girlish laugh.

* * *

"No, it shouldn't have happened at all!"

Slamming her hand on the table surface with a loud bang, she shot him a look her friend Stith would've been proud of. The people involved with the project had all gathered for the debriefing in the large conference room on one of the higher levels of the _Heliopolis_ where the _Earth Defense Force_ had its own private section.

"I'm very sorry Miss Kunimoto but the chances of a defect are very small. However it is fortunate that it happened during the test flight. Now we can make absolutely sure that it'll never happen again."

"What happened exactly?" Jason asked.

He had been involved with the project from day one and his Starfleet was responsible for a significant part for the fighter's construction and its computer systems.

"Sensor logs show that the drone took a significant amount of damage from a piece of debris. It punched through the hull with such force that it damaged the drone's targeting systems. After that, we completely lost control of everything else. It didn't respond to any of our commands at all. It began targeting randomly and we had our pilots blow it up before it could do any serious harm."

"We were just lucky!" Akima said snappishly. "D'you know how smart those things are? For example, it knew _exactly_ where and how to hit me to knock out my engines and weapons. If Cale and Todd hadn't shown up, that asteroid field would've been my graveyard."

Cale had never seen her so infuriated. Akima always managed to remain calm in even the toughest of situations, but this time they had really gotten her mad.

"Calm down Akima. We're alive, that's what's most important. Nothing's perfect. It's just a machine."

"And we've just found her first flaw," Jason added.

"One that is actually quite easy to correct," one of the engineers finished. "We could build in a failsafe mechanism, one that ensures that the drone terminates itself when we lose control."

Pierce smiled. He was proud of what these people had accomplished here in a short time and with a little bit of help.

"Make it so!"

Now that they had nothing further to discuss the debriefing was about to end. But before it could, two Mantrins prevented everyone from leaving.

"I apologize for interrupting," Kero began, "but I have something important that needs everyone's attention."

"Of course, Captain," Jason said in a friendly manor. "Siddown."

He gestured at the few chairs that were still empty.

"I prefer to stand if you don't mind." Figuring that sitting down in one of those chairs would cause problems because of his massive size, he stepped toward the large screen, followed by Kiké, trying not to hit anything or anyone with his legs. Before speaking he cleared his throat. "I shall start from the beginning. On our way to Earth we engaged in battle with an enemy patrol. As you can see for yourself we've won but made a nasty discovery during that fight." Stepping forward to the small console linked to the screen he placed the holoscroll in his hand in the data-uplink port. The large viewscreen displayed the detailed schematics of the spinner-drone, highlighting every single aspect of the deadly machines. The looks on the faces of the people in the room slowly changed from curiosity to surprise and shock and with good reason. They hadn't seen them from up close the way he did. That buzzing sound was enough to send the shivers up his spine when he thought about it. "Somehow one of the enemy ships managed to retrieve our shield frequency utilizing a high-powered sensor sweep. Soon after we realized what was going on they transported a few of these surprises on board," he said rather grimly. "This analysis contains all the information regarding this weapon. I suggest we find a way to neutralize this threat. Ensign, if you'd be so kind to elaborate?"

Clearing her throat, Kiké stepped forward, immediately having everyone's attention.

"These drones are excellent anti-personnel weapons interlinked on a frequency using a tri-phasic modulation. We've discovered that it is almost impossible to jam this frequency but we can prevent the enemy from using these things by using a rotating shield frequency. The only problem is, if the shields fail, there's no way we can prevent them from transporting a few dozen of them aboard. They could neutralize the entire crew and the carrier ship won't even have to fire a single shot."

It was silent for a moment. This new discovery was indeed reason for concern.

"Oh great, now we have another stupid thing to worry about," Cale said with an annoyed sigh.

"Well it doesn't have to be such a big problem," Akima said.

"Go on," Jason encouraged her.

"Those transporter systems use a targeting scanner to lock on to its subjects, right? Now if we can set up some kind of dampening field…"

"…or a transport scrambler…"

"… so they can't get a lock," another Starfleet officer finished.

"We can't entirely prevent them from using their weapon but we sure can make it one hell of a lot more difficult," a high-ranking officer of the _Earth Defense Force_ said.

Akima looked at Cale, an eased look on her face.

"See, problem solved."

"If it works like we planned."

"Thanks for bringing this to our attention," Jason said to both Kero and Kiké.

"No problem." Disconnecting the holoscroll from the uplink after storing a copy of the data into the Earth military database he thanked everyone for their time. When everyone began talking again and cleared the room he handed Jason the holoscroll. "For your database."

"Thanks Kero, but that won't be necessary. The _Earth Defense Force_ already had their database synchronized with ours and vice versa. I almost forgot to inform you but if you do the same we all have access to the same broad base of intel. Any new discoveries will be directly available to everyone, everywhere."

"Thank you, sir."

The human smiled. He was pretty small in comparison and had to look up.

"Call me Jason," he said with a faint shrug. "We're both Captains anyway."

"Thanks Jason."

Signaling the female Mantrin he left the room together with her, leaving him alone. Shooting a quick glance at the chrono on the wall, he finally left without any clear idea about what to do next. _On a starship there's always something. _Crossing the maze of pedestrian bridges hanging over the depths of the city he deliberately took a detour on his way to a group of elevators and eventually found himself thinking that he could have just contacted the ship right away to beam him up. However he was in for a little walk alone, admiring his surroundings, granting himself a short break. The surprising amount of natural light entering the superstructure of the _Heliopolis_ was enough to limit the use of artificial lighting during the day. It was not only efficient but the light of the sun eliminated a cold and dark atmosphere usually found in large buildings. _Those reports can wait_. Though he enjoyed watching the view in silence while the panorama elevator descended, he was surprised to find himself standing alone in the transparent cabin. The city never slept and always bristled with activity, even during the night.

"_Is the weather always perfect on this planet?_" he asked himself. _It almost looks like they're using some kind of weather control system._ When the elevator had reached the bottom floor he headed for one of the entrances and left the city, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face and the fresh air from outside in his lungs. Indeed a lot of people, humans and aliens alike had decided to enjoy the weather. _No wonder. _This world really was a beautiful place to live and he actually had a small hand in helping them to create it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt proud of what he had done; helping to create a home for another nearly destroyed faction of the human race in a universe so unlike his own. But thinking about a home made his thoughts drift off to his own home, to Sandra and the kids. There were moments he actually felt guilty for not being there as a father for them. He wasn't there to watch them grow up, spend time with them and do the things a father was supposed to do with his children. He had talked with Sandra about taking his family aboard numerous times but every time she rejected the idea. It was too dangerous. _"Am I doing the right thing?"_ he caught himself thinking. _Bad time for having second thoughts Jason._ Fortunately for him the sound of a familiar voice attracted his attention. Looking over his shoulder he realized it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him but someone really called his name. It was Stith, the other Mantrin he got to know better who obviously wanted to speak to him. He still found the creatures a unique sight to see. With those huge hind legs with the double knees, strong muscular tails and bird-like beaks they were unlike any alien he had ever seen. "Stith, what a pleasant surprise." Turning around he walked back toward her and was greeted by a toothy grin. "What's on your mind?"

"Jason, I got a problem."

"I'm all ears," he said in a gentle way.

"Well, I'm kinda bored. I was thinking of practicing my shooting but eh…" She shrugged and gestured around her. "I can't shoot anything here. It just ain't right, you know. Now Kero told me you can help me out. I heard you got some tech that's able to satisfy my needs without me ending up destroying every pretty thing on this planet."

Jason wasn't exactly surprised to hear her say that. During his stay in this universe he had quickly learned that Mantrins were a warrior race that loved to fight. In some way their ethics weren't much different than from the Klingons in his universe who also gave a great deal about honor and loyalty and preferred dying in battle more than any other way. For those alien species on board Federation ships they had just the thing to help them get rid of their aggression and satisfy their bloodlust. Guiding her a bit further away from the city he pressed his combadge.

"I think I have just the thing for you, Stith. Pierce to _Highlander_, two to beam up."

Holding still in front of a double metal sliding door, Jason turned to Stith, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

"This is it. After you."

Stepping aside when the doors opened he let the Mantrin in first. She entered a fairly large almost entirely empty room without a single window and very little visible equipment. With one ear flattened she studied the walls which appeared to be covered by a network of something she couldn't quite figure out. The only other thing in the room worth noticing was a console. This could be part of the holographic technology Kero heard about.

"And, this is going to help me do what exactly?"

The human merely smirked and walked toward the console, signaling her to come take a look.

"No, look, this is a holodeck. It can be practically anything. We use it for a lot of things. Sports, entertainment, combat simulations; the possibilities are endless. All that you're going to see in a moment only exists as photons and force fields generated by holo-emitters. Just tell the computer what you want and you'll get it."

He was slightly amused by the look on Stith's face, which resembled that of a child getting a room filled with toys.

"You mean everything?"

"You can visit recreations of other worlds without realizing you're still in this room. You can practice hand-to-hand combat and even kill your opponent in battle without injuring a real person."

"I think I'm gonna like this," Stith muttered.

He noticed it still sounded too good to be true to her.

"I know. Sounds cool doesn't it? And it really asks for a demonstration. Does your homeworld happen to be in the database?"

"Guess so."

"All right, brace yourself." With the large alien watching over his shoulder, he began tapping buttons, creating a new program from scratch. It wasn't all that easy but he had experience. There were quite a few parameters that had to be specified to allow the computer to create a realistic environment. "Computer, I want a holographic recreation of Sogowa Prime, time afternoon, most recent recording."

"Please specify."

He shrugged.

"Any particular place you'd like to be right now?"

"Ta'keth was my last place of visit. It's the capital city. You should see it."

"Computer, location, capital city of Ta'keth."

"Please stand by."

Stith felt how her breath caught for a moment when the dull looking room around her completely disappeared and transformed into a blue sky and lush green grass. She and Jason stood on one of the grass overgrown hills overlooking the beautiful and enormous city built by her people.

"This can't be," she said quietly, filled with amazement.

"Hmm, nice place."

Jason walked a few steps away from her, gazing over the city beneath him.

"I can't believe this," Stith said baffledly, walking a few steps. It wasn't her eyes trying to fool her. "The perspective's changing. I can feel wind, grass, the warmth of the sun. I can hear birds and the sounds coming from down there."

"You can walk all the way to the city, interact with holographic characters, without realizing you're still in this room. The system's only limited to the available data. If an object doesn't exist in the database it can't be created unless you create a complete holographic profile and specify its parameters."

"D'you think this technology can be adapted to our power systems?" Stith asked hopefully.

"Can't see why not. A few modifications here and there and it should work." This was amazing. The Empire was quite advanced in its technology and weapons made by her kind were the finest in the galaxy but this was something even they could learn a few things from. "But as you said, you wanted to practice your shooting skills. What do you want? A shooting range, an actual field of battle, you name it."

Stith grinned and crossed her muscular arms.

"The first one will do for now. I think I'll pick one in the second category when I'm ready."

"Computer, save program under Jason Pierce, Sogowa Prime alpha one, and end program." After the computer confirmed, the holographic world around them, which felt real to the touch transformed back to the way it was before. Not a trace of it was left. Not even the recreated smell of fresh air mixed with a hint of grass and sweet blooming flowers. "Computer, activate program, shooting range." The program that appeared around them was a pretty standard shooting range which wasn't very different from the ship's interior in terms of design. "Want a new gun?" Walking toward one of the holographic weapons lockers along the wall he picked one from the rack where a large variety of different weapons awaited a new practitioner. "This is a Starfleet type 3 phaser rifle, standard issue."

Arming the weapon he increased the setting and aimed for one of the targets down range. It was destroyed about two seconds later.

"Good shooting," Stith complemented. What was left of the target disappeared and was replaced by a new one automatically. The human tossed her the weapon. Catching it with one hand, she weighed it carefully and brought it closer to her face to take a good look. "A decent weapon, light weight, adequate power…" She tossed it back to Jason, unexpectedly, judging by the look on his face. "But I prefer to use my own weapons."

Drawing her pair of high-yield blasters she smirked evilly.

"It's your call," he laughed. "But I can only give you two hours. My crew is scheduled for some holodeck time as well so I'm sorry I can't give you more."

"It'll have to do," Stith said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Checking the settings and power levels of her favorite weapons. "I don't wanna be rude human but now that you're still in one piece it might be better for you to leave. It's gonna get messy and you don't wanna accidentally end up in my crosshair."

He laughed. She sure knew how to get him curious and it made him wonder what she could do in two hours of playing time. Sticking around was not a good plan however.

" All right, all right. But one more thing. Do not, under any circumstances turn off the holodeck safety protocols. You don't wanna get yourself killed. I'll be back in two hours. Have fun and stay alive."


	21. Chapter 19 The Arrival

**The Arrival**

* * *

_The Lighthouse_ that began as a simple improvised establishment aboard a drifter colony, then for a very short period continued its existence as a lonely place on the surface of New Earth was now one of the _Heliopolis'_ biggest and most visited places_. _Maybe the reason was that Harry Ginsmore was such a fine type of guy to talk to or maybe because of the quality and variety of the drinks he served but each day he seemed to get more and more guests. Now that the human race had built the first of a series of magnificent cities, aliens of numerous different species were drawn to the planet, giving him a very wide base of regularly returning customers. Harry didn't really care who visited his establishment as long as they kept the place in one piece. _The Lighthouse_ was a large meeting spot, pub and small restaurant spread over two floors with a terrace on the second floor overlooking the lower one and the city's internals. It was roomy, wide and open just like the rest of the massive vertical city and different kinds of music of both human and alien origin softly played on the background. On this particular day he spotted one of his most famous customers sitting on the upper level, together with his girlfriend and a pair of Mantrins in duty uniform. He couldn't really hear what the conversation was about but the bigger one of the Mantrins, a Goureg, didn't look very happy. As a bartender and a real people person he had no trouble reading faces, human or alien.

"When I stepped into the throne hall and saw my parents again I couldn't take it anymore and before I knew it I was in my mother's arms."

Kero stared at the contents of the glass he turned around in his hand instead of the people around him. Then he caught the sympathetic look of Akima sitting on his left.

"I cried."

"You cried?" Cale, sitting on the opposite side of the wooden table blabbed out. "Never seen a Mantrin cry befo-"

Cale yelped softly, having received a vicious kick from Akima, the look on her face telling him to shut up. Placing her hand on Kero's massive arm she squeezed softly. Kiké sat between Cale and her Captain and judging by the position she held her ears in, she was affected by Kero's mood too.

"I think it's very brave of you to admit that Kero, especially to a human. But tell you what? Everyone cries once in awhile; it's only natural. It reminds us that we're living beings of flesh and blood and not mechanical monsters like those Machines."

It was an attempt to cheer him up, though it didn't seem to work as well as she hoped for.

"The first time Stith and I talked I was actually afraid that there might be a war coming." He sighed and shook his head. "Others of my kind seem to live for battle. Why am I so different? Sometimes I even ask myself if I'm a real Mantrin."

This time it was Kiké's time to give it a try.

"Oh c'mon Kero!" She punched him on the chest with her for a Mantrin rather small fist. "Which uniform are you wearing? How many knees do you have? Huh?"

The loud tone of her voice did turn a few heads but seemed to have done the trick. Grateful for what they were trying to do, he looked at each of them individually and smiled.

"You guys maybe right. No, I know you're right. Stith already told me to stop bothering a thousand times and I'm still doing it."

"I'm not sure I really understand what you're going through because I only have limited understanding of Mantrin ethics but I do know that it can't be bad to cry once in a while," Akima said in a comforting way. "It helps you to release some of the bottled-up emotions we all have to deal with."

Cale laughed.

"Yeah. You know, the funny thing about emotions is that as long as you still have them, you know you're not like those freakin' Machines."

Kero revealed two rows of sharp white and laughed too, a bit of relief slipped into his voice.

"I don't know how you did it but you managed to change the way I looked at it before."

"Shall I tell you guys a secret?" the Fjetahna Mantrin said, immediately having the attention of the others. Turning her look down at the table she lowered the tone of her voice a bit. "I cried when I left home and told my parents I wouldn't see them for a while."

"Yeah, but you're still a little girl who's far too young to be on this mission in the first place."

"Hey! I'm not a little girl anymore!" she said indignantly, her tufted ears lowering in a hostile response. "If you can hold a weapon, you're ready to fight!"

But when she noticed that both the other Mantrin and the humans laughed, she simply turned her head the other way and growled agitatedly.

"Sorry Ensign," Kero hiccupped. "I just had to say it. You should've seen your own face."

Although Kiké didn't consider it a laughing matter at all, she couldn't help herself from getting caught in their laughter and had to give up being angry. Cale checked his chrono.

"It's getting late already. Kero, I thought you said that Stith would be here in time so we could have dinner with the rest of the crew."

"She'll come," he just said with a shrug.

"Oh well, I was enjoying the conversation anyway."

Unaware of the fact that someone had secretly followed their conversation they continued. Harry Ginsmore stopped looking up at their table. They had managed to completely cheer the sad Mantrin up. He had felt the urge to walk up to their table. Not a customer should have a bad time in _The Lighthouse_ but they did a good job, which made a satisfied smile appear on his face too.

Meanwhile aboard the _USS_ _Highlander_, Captain Jason Pierce's official duty shift was about to end but there was just one thing left to do. On his way to the holodeck he left under the care of a certain trigger-happy Mantrin, he was joined by his First Officer who was just as eager to find out what war she was fighting. Standing in front of the holodeck doors they both hesitated.

"You first," Chrysta said, doing a step aside.

Checking the display to see if it was safe to enter Jason stepped through the opening doors and found himself looking over a massive battlefield. Hundreds of Mantrin soldiers were battling it out on open terrain between two large forests against an unknown enemy. Large aircraft passed overhead, dropping bombs on enemy lines, heavily armed walkers fired their thundering railguns and plasma cannons, and the hundreds of warriors constantly kept their fingers on the triggers of their pulse rifles. The amount of noise from weapons fire and exploding ordnance was extreme and Chrysta could barely hear her Captain speaking.

"O, my…"

He was too dazzled to say more. They viewed the battle from a safe place in the camp of the 'good side' as no one seemed to consider them a target yet. But that could change soon. They were approached by two soldiers carrying large caliber energy weapons and they didn't look particularly happy.

"Off-worlders! What're you doing on this planet? There's a war being fought here!"

"We…" Jason hesitated, feeling intimidated by the huge heavily armed aliens in full body armor standing before him and Chrysta in a threatening display of awesome strength and pugnaciousness. "We've come to aid you in your war."

"Well don't just stand there! Call in your reinforcements or whatever you've got!"

"I wanna speak to someone named Stith first."

The Mantrin growled, revealing sharp teeth.

"Field Commander Stith is unavailable right now. She's-"

"I thought I made myself clear?"

A female Mantrin suddenly stood behind them, not seeming to have trouble shouting above the deafening sound of the battlefield around them. She stood there in heavy holographic armor and was clearly leading the battle. But apparently she was fighting alongside her men judging by the weapons she was carrying.

"Apologies ma'am."

The soldiers slightly nodded in respect for their commanding officer.

"Return to duty. You have your orders! Now get back there and crush our enemies!"

"Yes Commander."

Both soldiers complied and walked away to join the rest of the troops.

"Captain," Stith said, smirking mischievously. "Like what I've done with the place?"

Gesturing at all the death and destruction around her she looked very proud of it too.

"Very much Stith," Pierce said, genuinely impressed by her first attempt.

"A recreation of the Battle of Talarias V, 27th heavy infantry battalion, which took place roughly twenty-three years ago."

"That's great Stith. But I'm afraid time's up. Sorry."

"Please?" she asked kindly but he didn't fall for it. She shrugged. "It was worth a try. Computer, end program and save under filename, Stith, alpha one." After the computer confirmed the program ended leaving only a sweaty and panting Stith behind. Back into the reality of the _Highlander_'s corridors Jason heard Stith stepping closer to him, feeling her hot breath in his neck, her voice full of lust. "That was the most amazing experience I ever had." She brought her muzzle closer to him. "Thanks," she said, flicking her tongue over his cheek.

He was completely overwhelmed by this and didn't know how to react. He just stood there when Stith headed on her way back to the transporter room on her own.

"What did she just do?" Chrysta asked, an unmistakable hint of amusement in her voice.

Her Captain wiped off his cheek.

"I believe she… licked me." He frowned. "Better catch up with her in case she somehow happens to forget she's not on the holodeck anymore."

"Where is she?" Cale asked out loud for the third time in the last ten minutes. Korso, Gune and even Preed had shown up in the meantime but there was still no sign of the _Valkyrie_'s tough former weapons export. They had shoved a few of the neighboring tables together so that they could sit with each other for dinner but Stith was the only one still missing. "What's taking her so long?"

"She'll come," Kero answered his question again.

Korso snickered.

"I have no reason to doubt that but she certainly takes her time."

Another five minutes later they finally saw Stith standing in the bar's opening, scanning the environment until she spotted the group sitting on the upper level. She certainly looked in a hurry as she climbed up the broad stairs.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get back earlier," she said between two breaths. "You should've seen it. The most amazing experience I've ever had."

Preed smirked, and made an amused sound, an acquisitive look on his face. It was practically a ritual he performed before saying something that would upset the Mantrin.

"Let me guess. You took a quick nap and completely forgot about the time because you dreamt about me."

Stith who stood a little too close for comfort slammed her hand flat on the table, lowering her voice to a throaty grunt.

"D'you still have a death wish, Preed?"

"Of course not, my dear. Just reminding you how crazy for me you actually are."

She scoffed.

"Crazy enough to kill you with love. No, I just fought in the battle of Talarias V!"

The tone of her voice had changed into excitement.

"So Jason had a way to send you back in time and transport you a couple of dozen light years away?" Kero asked in a slightly amused way.

"Yeah sure wise guy. No, you should've seen it. I could swear I was really there. He called it a holodeck or something. You can create anything you want. Well, almost."

"Oh that thing," Cale said. "Yeah, he told me he wanted to install a couple of those on each level of the city. Power consumption's a bit of problem though. I've heard of it and I wanna try it myself. How was it?"

Stith laughed.

"Like I said, you should've come with me. I could've sworn I was really there, twenty-three years ago. It was so real. Real enough to make me feel the thrill of battle anyway. Nothing beats this."

"I wanna hear all about it but shall we have dinner?" Korso asked, rubbing his stomach. "Don't know about yours but mine's growling."

With a nod Stith joined them at the table.

"Can't fight on an empty stomach."

"What do you think Gune? Would it be possible to recreate real people with that thing?" Preed asked.

"It's all about data, lots of it. The more the better," the little alien replied.

He was already trying to figure out a way to use this new technology for his own projects. No one really knew what went on in Gune's mind at any moment but this time it wasn't hard to guess. Korso frowned and sat back.

"Preed what're you up to?"

"One Preed's bad enough," Stith scoffed.

But Preed displayed his usual sly grin when he was up to something, deliberately giving her a leering look.

"Well, actually I was more thinking…"

"What? So you can get yourself killed by a holographic version of me? How pathetic!"

A few of them laughed.

"Hmm, who knows," Preed replied shrugging, unaffected by the laughter. "A few modifications here and there and your holographic recreation will suddenly start being much nicer to me."

It appeared as if it actually took a slight moment for Stith to realize what he was getting at but when her head snapped in his direction, everyone including Preed knew he had to be very careful.

"_Preed_! If I catch you on making holographic versions of me you're dead! You're dust! Understand?"

"Take it easy, Stith," Kero said to calm her down. "I'm sure there're rules attached to the use of this technology."

"I hope so, for him! He's the one who can't control his urges!"

"Now stop arguing," Kiké interrupted. "We're supposed to have fun."

Of course they couldn't do anything but agree on that.

Two days later the thing they had all been holding their breath for happened. The first ships carrying the delegates of the worlds interested in an alliance between the new human homeworld and theirs had arrived. For quite some time now, Earth was visited more and more by aliens of numerous different worlds and human survivors scattered across the galaxy found their way to their new world. But it wasn't until this day that the first ships with officials from several invited worlds arrived for the negotiations. Cale was enjoying a break in his favorite establishment when he received a call from the _Atlas _space station regarding their arrival.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Mister Tucker but I thought you'd like to know that three Akrennian battlecruisers just entered orbit a few minutes ago. The Akrennians have launched a shuttle and are on their way to the surface."

"Thanks for the call but you're a little on the late side. They're already here."

Cale's attention was drawn by some boisterous newcomers entering the establishment. Overlooking the bar he paid close attention to its current set of visitors. Like always the place was filled with a variety of customers of all kinds of races no matter which part of the day. A few were worth noticing however. He spotted a lonely Stith in duty uniform on a table on the other side of the bar enjoying her drink and her privacy. She didn't appear to be paying much attention to the newcomers but not noticing them was impossible. Preed, the only other Akrennian he got to know better sat on a stool at the bar, half-drunk he assumed because he didn't even look up. Something else that caught his attention was that the few Mantrins among the customers immediately looked up with looks on their faces as if their mortal enemies had suddenly decided to show up. _This is proving to get interesting._ Nipping from his glass of ice cold beer, he tried to keep an eye on what was happening without staring directly. The leadster of the small group of Akrennians, a rather tall dark brown-skinned female quickly overlooked the place before starting to walk very boldly toward the bar, followed by her fellow officers. A lot of people shot a stealthy glance as she walked by. The tight black leather outfit that really fit the alien woman's aggressive appearance, a blaster she carried in a holster on her right hip and the decorated blade in the sheath on her left made very clear that this lady wouldn't be trifled with. Taking a seat at the long bar, her companions joining her on both sides, she slammed her hand flat on the hard wooden surface, her eyes flickering as she directed her stare at her first possible victim.

"You there, human! Get me and my officers some Akrennian ale, and don't tell me you don't have it!"

It was purely a demand, without so much as a trickle of friendliness.

"Yes, ma'am."

Harry immediately left all other tasks for what they were and started to fill glasses. Cale noticed that most conversations in the bar had almost quieted to a whisper. He could feel the tension in the air around him rising.

"The name's Ayko." She snorted derisively. "_Captain_ Ayko, from the Trsh'ka clan, commanding the battlecruiser Tsun'rhaa." The way she used her voice to emit strength and authority made clear that she was a tough on all right; a starship Captain. Messing with her was not good idea. She tapped with her sharp fingernails on the bar's surface –something that made everyone nervous- until the glass with the transparent light green alcoholic beverage appeared in front of her. After taking a small first nip, a long pause followed. Then she took a large gulp and put the glass back on bar without saying a word, on purpose undoubtedly. The tension reached a critical point. Harry carefully continued his work, on the lookout for the Akrennian female, keeping a safe distance from her. Though it only lasted for a few seconds it had to feel like an eternity to him. "Not bad human!" She smirked, baring a set of razor-sharp fangs. Cale knew she had enjoyed needling the man. It's what people with her superior attitude loved to do. "I almost had ya goin' there, didn't I?" she said in an amused way.

"Almost ma'am," Harry stammered.

Lucky for him she lost interest in him because something far more interesting had caught her attention in the meantime. It was Preed sitting a few places to the right, who had been secretly observing her since the moment she took place at the bar. The conversations around them that had almost come to a complete stop got going again but not quite as loud as before. _Who is she?_ It was a simple thought that crossed Preed's intoxicated mind. He was bewildered by her looks. The tight leather outfit, the military aura and not to mention her overall physical appearance. The beautiful orange eyes, their color enhanced by her dark brown skin, her well-trained body, which hadn't lost any of its feminine features in the process, the long upstanding ears and the long sharp horn between her nostrils. He had never seen a woman of his own species come that close to perfection and judging by the way she studied him she knew what was going on in the depths of his twisted mind. When her companions started a conversation she picked up her glass and stood up, moved up a few places and sat down on the stool on Preed's left.

"And who might you be? You're not military so you're not with us."

She was still observing the other Akrennian, but the tone of her voice was remarkably soft, in comparison to what it was before and didn't sound hostile at all. Despite the considerable amount of sedated brain cells, Preed didn't fail to notice.

"Preedex," he said a little slowly. "Though my friends… and enemies call me Preed."

"Which clan?"

Her eyes narrowed to slits. Now he had to be careful.

"I… I'm not part of a clan. At least, not anymore."

"Aaah, an outlaw." She nodded, then snickered. "I kinda like that." She took a sip of her ale, then looked up at the shimmering metal plate covering the left part of Preed's skull. "And what is this?"

She softly touched the plate with her hand, letting it slip over the remains of his left ear. Something happened when her fingers made contact with his skin, a spark that triggered his deepest desires. It was enough to wake up those brain cells and set that thing others called a heart on fire but he managed to control himself and merely smirked.

"Oh that. Long story. But I think it's enough to tell you that I got caught in a rather 'violent' situation."

Ayko laughed, her voice quieting to almost a whisper as she moved closer to him.

"I like brave men like you, who're not afraid to be caught in violent situations."

A rather impolite sound ruined the moment. Just now that everyone had started talking again, the conversations dropped dead instantly after they realized what happened. It was the Mantrin closest to the two flirting Akrennians, the Sogowan Mantrinesse bearing the name Stith who just couldn't keep her muzzle shut because her sharp ears had picked up all the juicy details of their conversation and it made her want to throw up. Pulling away from the other Akrennian, Ayko snapped her head in the direction of the person who dared to make fun of her and stood up. Everyone was silent. No one dared to breathe but Stith was unstirred. From his table, Cale had an excellent overview of the entire scene. _Stupid girl. I know you don't like Preed but look what you've gotten yourself into now._ Although the other woman was an Akrennian it was better not to underestimate someone like her. Holding still in front of Stith's table, she stared down at her, eyes flickering. Stith however refused to be impressed and took another sip of her drink.

"Did you say something, _Mantrin_?"

The other two lower ranking Akrennians looked up, fascinated by their superior's course of action.

"Yes I did, Akrennian," Stith replied on a rather casual tone.

"Hmm, you don't approve of my choice of men, do you?"

"As a matter of fact I don't."

Stith now stared right back at her opponent, without even blinking.

"And why is that, if I may ask?"

"Because I was forced to work on the same ship with that backstabbing Bolinian desert rat and every day I hated him a little bit more. So you must either be desperate or you just have a poor choice of men!"

She had spat it right into her face, pointing in Preed's direction with a clawed finger. Ayko did something unexpected however. She smiled.

"I think I kinda like him already. Probably got something to do with Mantrins and Akrennians not doing so well together."

"I'm glad to inform you that we both seem to agree on that."

Ayko vaguely smiled again after which she suddenly went serious and bowed over the table.

"I don't have anything against your kind but let me make something clear," she said venomously. "I don't like you attitude and if I hear something from you again, I promise you, my blade will draw fresh blood."

The threat was clearly present in her statement and Stith was a bit overwhelmed. This Akrennian was a whole lot different from the one she got to know better. But Stith made a rule for herself in life. And that rule stated that she wouldn't let anyone just walk over her like that. Rising on her legs, making herself almost twice as big she glared down her muzzle at Ayko with the same venomous look in her eyes.

"You don't like my attitude? You're welcome to try and change it!"

Ayko kept staring back for a few seconds.

"You're lucky I'm in such a good mood today," she bit back.

"Or what? You'll kill me? I'd love to see you try."

"Don't push me!" Ayko hissed. "Forget about it. I'm here to do business and have a little fun. But my warning stands."

Turning her back, she returned to her spot at the bar where she continued her conversation with Preed. Stith slowly sat down, keeping her in sight for a while longer. To her dissatisfaction, the two Akrennians kissed a few minutes later after which she left the bar. Maybe she was just behaving like a child or because she hated Preed but she couldn't bear to look at the sight. No one had ever spoken to her like Ayko just did without regretting it and she was not planning to make an exception to that rule.

The next few days more and more officials from different worlds arrived. Next to the Mantrins and the Akrennians, Qu'utians, D'amarans, Vusstrans, Solbrechtians and two more different worlds had promised to send their representatives. Most of them had kept their promise. From Solbrecht, an entire convoy arrived carrying not only their representatives but also a lot of human survivors who had settled at the metropolitan planet after the destruction of the original Earth. These people had done everything they could to survive when they lost their home. Humans seemed to have no place in the galaxy anymore but that had changed with the creation of the new Earth. From raising businesses of their own to interspecies relationships, these humans were hardworking people who had finally come to claim their rightful place on New Earth. Cale and Akima sat outside under the warm rays of the sun, studying them, wondering about their experiences.

"Look at all these people Cale. They just lived their lives trying to make the best out of it."

"Yeah I know," he said a little absent-mindedly. "You know, in the earlier days of my life, I was always complaining about how hard it was. I always complained while Tek tried to support me and told me how much he believed in me and knew I was going to do something great one day. But of course, I didn't wanna believe it at that time."

Akima rested her head on his shoulder.

"We've all been through a rough time Cale. Have you ever been to Solbrecht?"

"Once, vaguely remember a few details."

Solbrecht was a melting pot of different cultures. Next to the native Solbrechtians, many different species had established settlements and colonies on its surface.

"The government was quite reluctant to let a few million human refugees settle on the planet. There was a lot of opposition against our influence, especially in the earlier years and some of those protests even resulted in open acts of terrorism."

"Terrorism?" Cale asked in disbelief.

Akima nodded.

"I've even heard rumors of a group of conservative Mantrins, don't remember the name though, so opposed to influence from other species that they started a new life outside modern society. They lived in their own primitive community in the forests outside the major cities. Everyone who dared to venture into their territory took a great risk of being killed." Cale looked a bit uneasy and Akima knew why. He finally made it up with Stith and this disturbing rumor was perhaps a bit unnerving. But she knew her alien friend well. Stith wasn't like that. "But no matter what happened, the human society on Solbrecht stayed together and did what they could to make their lives more comfortable." She sighed. "Though some of us have gone too far in trying. At least they haven't lost their humanity."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

Her words remembered him about his encounter with some of the humans on Tau-14. They wouldn't hesitate to kill if it would gain them something to improve their miserable lives.

"Cale, I know what you're thinking." She vaguely smiled when the thought crossed her mind. "It's not that Stith's eyes will suddenly turn red and she would try to kill you in bloodlust."

"No, of course not," Cale said, trying to reassure himself more than her.

"No matter what happened, some species were still willing to help us. Look." She pointed in the direction of the crowd and when Cale traced her finger he saw a Mantrin father walking next to his human wife while carrying his human son on his massive shoulders. "Now that's what I call love," Akima said, happy to see that good things still came out of a situation that difficult. "It doesn't matter on which planet you're born."

Cale's smile returned when her words got through to him. The fact that not every human's life had been as miserable as his somehow made him happy and reminded him more and more of Tek. The Vusstran scientist had been like a father to him the whole time. His thoughts began to drift away when he started to wonder what might have happened to Tek and his daughter Iji. Was Tek still alive? And what about Iji? He was so caught up in his thinking that he almost forgot to notice his wristcom when it chimed.

"Yeah?"

"Mister Tucker," a male voice replied, "we've just confirmed that the Mizrate Armada has arrived. Multiple D'amaran vessels have entered the system."

"Thank you, Tucker out."

"That's number four today," Akima said happily. "That leaves…"

"Five arrived, only three more to go."

"Shall we get back to work?"

She jumped to her feet but Cale didn't feel so energetic.

"Do we really have to?" he said on a complaining tone.

He let himself fall back in the grass. He could lie down like this for hours but Akima placed her hands on her hips and insisted.

"Cale get up."

"Five more minutes?"

"No," Akima replied unrelentingly.

"All right, all right." _Why bother creating a planet when you can't even make a little time to enjoy it's beauty?_

"When we have less pressing things for concern, you'll have all the time in the world to relax."

It was as if she could hear his thoughts.


	22. Chapter 20 Republica Planitia

**Republica Planitia**

* * *

"Ma'zan to Fleet Commander Kero."

"Go ahead, Captain."

The Sogowan's face appeared on the viewer.

"I'm sorry to disturb you sir but we've just received word from the Imperial High Command that Captain Jah'len and I have been assigned elsewhere."

"But tomorrow's the conference. You'll miss the most important part of your staying here."

He had to admit, he was a bit disappointed.

"I wish we could've stayed longer but orders are orders and disobeying them wouldn't be wise. We're confident that you can handle the situation here. I'm looking forward to working with you again. Good luck young Prince. Ma'zan out."

The transmission ended and it was then that he noticed how quiet it was. Leaning back in the comfortable chair his thoughts began to drift off again. To tomorrow, back home, the large part of his crew on the surface and Stith.

"_I wish they would stop calling me young,"_ he thought.

_I'm already nineteen years old. About to turn twenty._ Now that he gave it a thought, that would make him very young for a starship Captain by human standards but his species matured at the age of fifteen. But there were more important things to worry about. Ambassador Jy'sen was preparing himself for tomorrow. The Ambassador was known to be patient, an uncommon quality for his species but very helpful for someone in his position. Sitting around the negotiation table with a bunch of Akrennians would likely seek the limits of this particular quality. _We'll see what happens_.

It rained on the day of the conference. Although the planet's weather conditions were pretty good to say the least, someone or something had decided to provide the population of the _Heliopolis_ with a not unwelcome change. A soft and gentle rain fell from the sky on a day officially classified an early February morning according to Earth timetable standards. February the third was about to become one of the most important days in the history of mankind. The Senate was crowded with numerous members of different alien species. From the very friendly and peaceful Qu'utians to the warlike Mantrins and from the ruthless Solbrechtians to the proud and militaristic Indarians. One would almost forget that the conference took place on a planet run entirely by humans. But between the mixture of alien cultures gathered inside the building called _The Senate_, humans were a common sight once again, though they were somewhat hard to notice in a crowd due to their small size compared to galactic standards.

_The Senate_ was divided into ten different sections, each front row marked with holoprojections of the logos of the participating organizations and worlds. They all surrounded a circle-shaped center where the future Chancellor would speak during a meeting. Next to the eight sections for the alien worlds and the human section, the last one was reserved for the Federation. Captain Jason Pierce had already announced that the Federation would take its place on the negotiations. He sat on the second row between officials, Ambassadors and a few high-ranking Admirals of Starfleet. The front row of each section was reserved for the Ambassadors or other sorts of representatives who would speak for their entire world. _The Senate_ was deliberately designed to have one open side to keep fresh air circulating during long talks. Although some of the worlds present in the hall had been in conflict with each other in the past -sometimes violent- they seemed to have no trouble getting along at the moment. Akima watched all this from her seat in the human section where she had a good view of the entire dome. Standing next to Cale, Amanda and the other members of the former council she was dressed in rather ceremonial attire. Maybe it was a bit too formal. Almost none of the other species had thought about wearing any special clothing but it made it look a bit more official.

"You've done admirably Akima, I'm proud of you." Amanda's voice was warm as always. She smiled. "And I'm proud of you too Cale. I bet she couldn't have done it without your help."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Now I believe I have sad news. If the alliance is formed there will be no need for a council anymore. A Chancellor will be chosen and a Senate formed. The alliance will most likely be governed in the form of a republic."

"That's okay Amanda," Akima said. "I knew the council would only be a temporary solution. I'm thinking of rejoining the military; pilot a starship again."

She had almost made up her mind already. It was what she did best and Korso would love to have her back aboard and behind the helm.

"Always looking for a new adventure, aren't you my child?" Amanda said with a laugh.

"It's what I do best."

"There he is." Amanda looked at the walking path on the right side of their section. A middle-sized man with a browned skin and long dark hair down to his shoulders walked along the path to the center. He wore a long white ceremonial garment with a high collar, an open front and with the back reaching all the way down to his ankles. He was a near perfect image of what could be the future Chancellor, emitting strength and confidence. His brown eyes had a friendly twinkle and he had a bright smile on his face. He stopped by the row where Amanda was standing and approached her. "Are you ready Chris?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

His voice sounded kind but capable of being strong and firm too.

"Akima I want you to meet Christopher Laroc. He's been a friend of mine for a long time now and has more experience in exopolitics than any other human on this planet. If you're looking for someone to lead an intergalactic organization, he's certainly your man."

"I'm Akima."

She extended her hand, which he took. His hand was warm and soft but he shook hers firmly, as if they just sealed an important deal.

"Pleasure." "Good luck Chris, we've done all we can. Now it's up to you."

"I'll manage." He laughed baring perfect teeth.

"There he is," Akima said a little suddenly, catching someone in the corner of her eye.

It was Korso, but not just Korso. He was accompanied by military officers in navy blue uniform and he wore exactly the same thing! _He really followed my advice_. He had been her Captain for some time now and he had learned to trust on her advice now and then, thought not always. She was secretly glad he did this time.

"Morning Akima, Cale. Councilors," he said with a slight respectful nod.

"That uniform looks good on you. You look like a perfect gentleman."

"Thank you Akima. The new _Valkyrie_'s been scheduled to begin her maiden voyage by tomorrow and I will be her Captain once again."

"I'd love to see what they've done to her."

"See? I think you'll get a better idea if you take the helm. Whadda ya say?"

"You serious?"

She kind of hoped he would ask and it wasn't really a surprise but she did make it sound like one. Flying the _Valkyrie_ again would make her happier than ever.

"I'm the Captain." He smirked. "And I still need a pilot and a chief engineer. My First Officer will arrive tomorrow. Cale? That still leaves one empty position."

Cale laughed.

"Don't worry Korso. I'll have your baby running smooth in no time."

Korso smile became wider.

"Splendid. I want you two to report to the bridge at 0800 hours in the morning. Questions?"

"Actually yes. What happened to Preed?"

"For your information, Gune's still our navigator. Preed is a different story. He contacted me yesterday to resign his commission. I was a bit surprised at first but he had a reason. Said something about losing his heart." Akima raised an eyebrow. Cale however started thinking. "I don't know. Haven't seen him since. If that's all, you're dismissed."

He took his place behind them on one of the back rows. Akima scouted the hall trying to locate the former _Valkyrie_ crewmembers. Most of the aliens had already taken their places and she noticed her Mantrin friend sitting next to Kero on the second row of their section. From the looks on their faces she could tell they were both having a good time. But she noticed that Stith's attention was drawn by something or someone in the Akrennian section. It wasn't hard to find the target of Stith's staring look. It was Preed and he sat next to a long, dark brown-skinned Akrennian female. Both wore the same black leather military uniform and suddenly the meaning of Preed's words was clear to her. _He finally did it_. Preed had finally found himself a mate.

"Looks like it wasn't a joke after all," Cale said, nodding in Preed's direction.

"You know more about this?"

Cale chuckled.

"Spotted her yesterday. You should've seen the way she talked to Stith. I thought it would come to a fight."

Now she was curious. At least he would stop aggravating Stith with his annoying remarks. But the way things looked now, they would never have to meet again. In the meantime Christopher had taken his position in the center of the hall in the circle between the different sections. He stood behind a lectern with special sound amplifying equipment attached to it so they would all be able to hear him speak clearly. One of the Federation Starfleet Admirals introducing himself as John Cunnington wished him luck. It was nice to see that these people from a completely different universe were really trying to help. As Chris prepared himself, the remaining aliens hastily took their places in the designated sections. When he asked for silence the last mumbling died away quickly. Clearing his throat first he began to speak with a calm and steady voice.

"These are dark times," he began. "We have asked you all to come here for only one purpose. By now, most of you have already felt the hot breath of these Machines in your necks. Their ships are patrolling the quadrant as we speak, harassing not only military ships but freighters and helpless civilian transports as well. It makes no difference to them. And that's because they can't! They are just a race of sentient Machines led by an artificial intelligence. They have no understanding of concepts as compassion, friendship and cooperation. We're simply 'inferior organics' as they call us."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," a rather insolent Akrennian interrupted him. "How do you know all this?"

"The facts, as presented to you speak for themselves."

"Maybe that's true, but what if someone wants us to believe that this is really an invasion by another race?" It was nothing but a mere speculation but just like all speculations it was a reason for debate. More people started to talk now, some of them supporting his sayings, others rejecting the whole idea. "For all we know," the Akrennian continued, "Emperor Zahn might be working on another way to expand his Empire by introducing a new line of ships to eliminate all the resistance so that they can conquer."

The other species now openly started to talk. Maybe it was the Akrennian's intention to incite a revolt or he just couldn't keep his mouth shut but he was succeeding. Mantrin Ambassador Jy'sen objected to the matter.

"Mister Laroc, I assure you that the Empire has nothing to do with the recent attacks. Imperial vessels have come under attack as well."

Chris nodded.

"I believe in your honesty Ambassador and I personally don't think that the Empire would do such a thing."

He asked for silence again but a few voices still kept muttering. The Akrennian who started the whole discussion however kept going.

"Are we supposed to believe what he's saying?"

"Are you accusing me of lying?" Jy'sen asked, anger slipping into his voice.

"I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm merely stating facts."

"Meaning?"

"That the Emperor in fact is working on other ways to expand his Empire. You just don't have the courage to admit it. Or you're not supposed to talk about it."

"Lieutenant, shut up! You're way out of line."

Ayko tried to silence him but it was too late. Mantrin Ambassador Jy'sen rose up on his legs and slammed his massive fist on the border in front of him, the wood creaking loudly.

"You will pay for these insults with your own blood you filthy piece of Akrennian scum!" he shouted, pointing a clawed index finger at him.

The Akrennian jumped to his feet as well.

"Be my guest! I'll tear those legs of yours from under your body so I'll have you crawling like a helpless worm."

The Sogowan Ambassador let out an aggressive growl, looking at him in such a deadly way that if his look could have killed, the entire section would have been a smoking crater. Nobody would have expected Chris to end the feud.

"Shut up! Both of you!" his amplified voice bellowed through the dome. "If you wanna fight, go ahead! Get back to you ships so you can tear each other to pieces! But that's not going to happen neither in my Senate nor on this planet!"

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds. With the help of the other Mantrins they managed to calm down their Ambassador. He sat down with an incredible amount of anger still showing on his face but remained silent for now. The Akrennian Lieutenant on the other hand was taken care of by Ayko.

"You! Report back to the ship at once! I'll deal with you when I get back!" she barked.

"Yes ma'am."

"_Now_!"

She followed him on his way out of _The Senate_ before taking her place again after which she apologized on behalf of her species toward the Mantrins and Chris. It was obviously an officer who served aboard her ship who had caused the little revolt. Chris thanked her before continuing.

_**Authors note: Music track 14 (Republica Planitia – (Supreme Commander Original Soundtrack – An Old Idea Made New))**_

"This is exactly what our enemy wants! If we start fighting among ourselves they can pick us off one by one. But together we stay strong! I clearly remember the Drej threat. They were afraid of what the human race might become. They destroyed perhaps the most important thing a species has. A place to stay. In a matter of seconds. By breaking our unity they eliminated the thing that we needed to oppose them. All we had was our fear. Our fear that the Drej might come to finish what they started. And we can't blame you for being afraid yourselves. Afraid that by helping humanity your world would become a victim of the Drej as well. But we have proven that any enemy can be beaten. Even the Drej. And now, after the disappearance of the Drej a new enemy shows up. Are we gonna let them pick us off one by one? Or are we gonna do something about it?" Some people were beginning to cheer, supporting what he was saying. Chris began to feel more and more confident by the minute now. As long as he had the support of the majority, the rest would soon follow. "We will not let them take what's ours!"

"No!"

"Because together we stay strong!"

"Together we stay strong!"

"Then from this day forward we will work together! This day will hold the dawn of a new era where alliances are made and battleaxes are buried! If we are to cooperate, we have to put our differences aside and work together. We may be at war in the nearby future. But if we have to fight, then we will fight for peace and prosperity, if not for us, then for our children. And why? Because it's worth fighting for!" Everyone stood up and started to cheer. The applause was like a rolling thunder that bellowed through _The Senate_. At that exact moment the rain outside stopped falling and the warming rays of the Andali sun broke through the clouds. "From now on, this planet will not just be a new planet Earth but it will be the establishment of the Senate of the new republic. A republic that will be known as _Republica Planitia_. From now on, we are united."

The rest of the day was spent by filling in all the 'paperwork'. Everything had to be made official, laid down in the contracts, signed by multiple representatives of each world, with permission of their respective governments. A logo had to be designed for the new organization. All ships under Earth's command were now part of the Republic fleet so their registries had to be changed. However before signing anything, some species still wanted some things cleared out.

"I hope you're not expecting the Indarian military to be transferred to Earth's control," the Indarian said to Akima and Cale who were helping with all the administrative work.

What was noticeable was how close the Indarians resembled an Earth fox walking on two legs. From their fur, colored in several varieties of red and brown colors with white bellies and tail tips, to their small brown-furred paws, pointy ears and sharp canine teeth.

"Of course not," Cale replied. "It's still your world with your laws, military and culture. However, we will be conducting joint fleet operations in times of war, set up trade-routes and make sure that every citizen of a Republic world can lead a happy and peaceful life. Nothing more. For example, the government on Indar Prime will remain exactly the same after we've received your sign. Only the big decisions determining the future of the entire quadrant are made together, here in this Senate."

The Indarian bared his teeth into something that resembled a smile.

"We will accept to these terms."

Another one, a Denali also wanted to know more. The Denali were a more humanoid species with a blue scaled skin, webs between their fingers and toes, both lungs and gills and two sharp horns on their heads. Their planet, Denalia, was a class N world with less than one percent land mass. They lived their lives in massive underwater cities and had developed some amazing technology in the medical field. Cale assured the alien that the sharing of technology would also be a point on the agenda of the Republic and that it would be greatly beneficial for all participants to do so. Nothing would be kept secret. Even the great _Titan_ project itself would be used to the benefit of all species just as its creator, Sam Tucker would have wanted it.

Finally by the end of the day _The Senate_ was almost empty. Except for the complete _Valkyrie _crew including Gune who had happened to join them later, Jason, Amanda, Chris, Kero and even Ayko had stayed until the last moment.

"Congratulations Mister Laroc, you did it," Jason said.

"No, we did it. But there are still some things that need arrangement. For example we still need a Supreme Chancellor."

"I think you're the perfect man for the job," Kero said in an honest way.

"Well thanks for your vote of confidence in me but everyone needs to agree for it to work. Unity is the most important thing in this alliance."

"There's something you all should know. Both the _Volari_ and the _Bokara_ have been recalled and they left yesterday. My ship is also scheduled to leave tomorrow. I've received a transmission from the Imperial High Command that they've made an interesting discovery. They couldn't go into details over a long range unsecured channel but they want the _Son of the Empire_ back as soon as possible. Maybe it's best if a few representatives from Earth are present. After all we're now officially allies."

"I'm ready to launch by tomorrow morning; I'm coming with you," Korso decided.

"Me too," Jason added. "My ship is running a bit low on antimatter. We'll make a small detour to replenish the supply at starbase _Titan_."

"Starbase _Titan_?" Cale asked curiously.

"Remember the gate we secured? Starfleet has given the order to construct a starbase near it to help defend the sector and provide the Federation vessels operating in this quadrant with a staging area. We thought it would be appropriate to name the starbase after an important event that would distinguish this universe from others."

"I get the point."

"_Highlander_ to Captain Pierce."

"Pierce here."

"Captain, one of our patrols destroyed a remote sensor drone at the edge of the system. It was operating in stealth mode and we believe it was programmed to monitor activity in the entire system."

Jason looked up at the rest of the companionship. They were all listening.

"Then there's a pretty good chance that they know what we're up to."

"So what do we do now?" Akima asked.

Jason nodded toward Kero.

"We're going to proceed as planned. You'll head back to Sogowa Prime immediately together with Captain Korso. I'll follow your original course after my ship replenished its antimatter supply. Don't wait for me; you can fill me in later. We have to act fast. We have to leave first thing in the morning."

"Understood."

"Acknowledged."

Korso looked at his new crewmembers. It was a look of trust and he knew they wouldn't disappoint him.

"Don't worry Cap, we'll be ready to go at 0800 hours tomorrow morning."

"You better be, Cale. I'm counting on ya." As everyone left Korso quietly addressed Stith about what happened during the talks. "Now I understand why you never liked Preed. Your two species can't stand to be in the same room with each other."

"No, I just don't like the guy," Stith replied without giving it much thought. "But indeed, in the past it's been close to war on more than one occasion." She added an evil grin. "Lucky for _them_ it never went all out."

Everyone left _The Senate_ unaware that in a solar system a couple of light years away, someone or something was already making plans to counteract everything they were trying to accomplish. On the surface of the fourth planet was a massive complex housing part of perhaps the most powerful artificial intelligence that ever existed. Its artificial consciousness was spread over multiple universes, several galaxies and thousands of solar systems. The Machine Dominion could exist as a single mind or an infinite number of smaller ones. It knows everything its drones know; see everything its mechanical minions see. And it was currently creating a plan that would overthrow this universe.

_Analyzing sensor data… Remote sensor drone three-two-four has detected a substantial increase in activity in sector zero-two-five. Planet identified. Homeworld of indigenous species called humans. Sensor logs indicate that there is a ninety-six percent chance that the species called humans is trying to unite the other indigenous species of the quadrant. Calculations indicate that conquering the quadrant will take significantly longer when indigenous species are united and fighting alongside… Assessing different solutions… Comparing quadrant's indigenous species psychological profiles… New calculations indicate that there is an eighty-two percent chance that the newly established alliance will fall into chaos when homeworld of species called humans is eliminated. Primary target identified. Initiating diversion tactics…_


	23. Chapter 21 Joint Venture

**Joint Venture**

* * *

The first look inside was enough. Apparently she received more than just a new paint job but Korso was still somewhat surprised. The good old _Valkyrie_ had been his trusted ship for years and he had no idea what they had been doing to her in the past few days. He hadn't set foot on her since Akima parked her in space dock and he wasn't even the first to greet her. Captain Jason Pierce stood in front of him, greeting him with a smile. He seemed to be in a good mood and with good reason too.

"Captain, I'd like to welcome you aboard the RSS _Valkyrie_. The primary computer system is fully operational and her primary drive systems are calibrated for warp speed and ready to go within the hour."

"Thanks Jason," Korso replied, not really knowing what else to say. He laughed. "All right, what've you done to my baby?"

"Wanna see your new bridge first? I think it'll impress you."

"Why not?"

"Nice uniform by the way." As Jason led the way to the ship's command center, Korso followed him. The corridors almost felt alien to him. They had certainly changed the looks. No more people calling her a rust bucket anymore. The solid metal bulkheads were polished and lights, status monitors and other equipment integrated giving it a far more modernized look, much like Jason's own USS _Highlander_. The heavy metal doors that always creaked were replaced by fully automatic ones as well. Although he was pleased to see they had done something to improve overall efficiency Korso couldn't help himself but wonder if this was still the same good old _Valkyrie_. _Oh c'mon Korso, they just gave her a little touch-up, updated her with the latest technology available_. He shrugged mentally. _Maybe they should give me a little touch-up while they're at it._ "We're here," Jason's voice interrupted his train of thoughts.

The door to the bridge had been replaced by an automatic slide model but the layout of the ship's command center hadn't changed a bit. The bridge still had the same double deck layout with the Captain's chair on the upper main steering deck and the pilot and co-pilot seats on the lower deck. He was glad they hadn't stripped the large main steering joystick. It still stood proudly in front of the Captain's chair, allowing for direct control of all important functions when needed. What did change however was all the equipment. Consoles, monitors and even the chairs themselves had made room for more advanced systems. The standard buttons and displays had all been exchanged for touch sensitive panels and large status displays and each station was accompanied by a swivel chair so that the crew didn't have to stand anymore which would come in handy during long shifts. The upper deck had been cleared as well, the old systems been replaced by three large half-circular consoles. All functions could be rerouted to a single one of these stations, though they were currently configured to control one primary system each. Two of the stations including the center one, which stood slightly more to the front, were occupied by members of his new crew, his new First Officer being one of them.

"Captain on the bridge!" he announced, sliding down the metal stairs by holding the railings. The steps were flanked by tiny lights which would turn red during red alert status. The young blond man in full navy blue duty uniform had a short beard, mustache and twinkling blue eyes. He stuck out his hand and smiled. "Commander Brian Kenneth, sir. I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Joseph Korso, a pleasure to meet you, Brian."

"The pleasure's mine, sir."

He gestured at the other crewmen. Brian introduced the other officers as Lieutenant Reese and Ensign Cho. The man, Lieutenant Derek Reese sat in the gunner's seat on the lower deck behind the pilot and co-pilot's stations, the woman, Ensign Yani Cho on the upper deck behind the left console.

"Morning sir. I'm almost done calibrating those targeting scanners."

His accent betrayed his American descent and Korso didn't have trouble picturing him living the American Dream.

"Good morning Captain."

Yani was an Asian woman with long black hear bond together with a hair clasp, dark eyes and a kind way of smiling. She didn't exactly look like a space marine but she wouldn't be here if she weren't good at what she did. Korso nodded approvingly.

"Looks like you've already settled in. Got a chrono somewhere?"

"That won't be necessary anymore," Jason replied. "Computer, time."

"The time is 0700 hours, fifty-six minutes, forty-two seconds."

Apparently someone had taken the time and put some effort into programming a decent female computer voice.

"I like it. Everything I mean."

"We barely touched the Captain's ready room. That'll be your responsibility. Main engineering's next."

Obviously the bridge and the look and feel of the interior weren't the only changes. Behind the redesigned crew quarters was the new infirmary, now equipped with the latest in medical technology and some other rooms that weren't there the last time he checked. A quick look at one of the status displays on the wall proved what he just thought. The internal structure of the ship had changed too. Part of the large cargo bay had been removed and replaced by additional decks and systems.

"Jason, did you turn my baby into a Starfleet vessel?"

"Feels different, doesn't it?"

"I feel like flashing back to when I was aboard your ship."

"I understand you feel that way but we did nothing more than performing system upgrades. It's your own space bearing organization that made the major modifications."

"Like what?"

Jason pointed at the deck layout on the display.

"For example: Transporter room, deflector control, shield matrix…"

"Shields?"

"I've had a word with your superiors. I always wondered why your ship didn't have any."

"Not enough room and costly to install I might add. In the past only large military ships carried shield generators."

"And it's a thing of the past indeed. We've provided you with a new way to build and implement shield technology. Less costly and easier to install."

"You certainly are a man of many talents."

He was impressed by the work done so far.

"Your ship has an efficient and highly adaptable design. It'll be in service for a whole lot longer, designated as a _Valkyrie_ class interceptor. A rapid-response vessel used for hit-and-run tactics and reconnaissance. It won't take long before more ships of this design are cruising between the stars."

Korso chuckled.

"Funny, it was originally built as a deep space yacht, not a combat ship."

"It's a versatile design. What more do you need?" Jason said, continuing his walk toward engineering. "Now that you mention it, her weapons also received a major overhaul. Her laser cannons have been replaced with more powerful models and we've added two forward and one aft photon torpedo launching system. She sure packs a mean punch now."

"Thanks, I bet Stith would've loved it," Korso replied thinking about his former Mantrin weapons expert. That girl really had talent. _Now where are Cale and Akima?_

"Morning Captains!" the two in question said.

They sort of startled him with their stealthy coming. He turned around to face them.

"Computer, time?"

"The time is 0800 hours."

"Now that's what I call right on time."

"Sir?"

"At ease, Tucker." Both Cale and Akima proudly wore the same navy blue uniform with the new insignia of the Republic Fleet. He had to admit it looked good on them. "Shift hasn't started yet. We're leaving at 0900 hours. Cale I think it's wise to follow me to main engineering since that's your field of expertise. Akima, you can either join us or become familiar with the new controls."

"Main engineering sounds fine, Captain."

"You know, these ranks don't really serve any purpose," Cale said, giving it some thought.

"Oh but they do," Korso replied. "The current rank system is based on a person's experience in space and space combat. Since we don't have time to let every officer conduct a four year training it'll be that way for a while."

"So they actually gave it thought," Akima said in a genuinely surprised way.

"We wouldn't be much of an organization if they didn't."

Main engineering had changed from a maze of pipes, cables, monitors and other odd-looking components to an impressive control center filled with panels and displays surrounding the ion-matrix. The bright pulsating glow of the cylindrical reactor core filled the entire room with white light and the comforting sound had a powerful hum to it. It was almost like the ship was alive and it made Cale feel excited but also pretty small while standing in front of the core.

"The drive systems received an upgrade too. She's now capable of reaching much higher sublight and warp speeds with a top cruising speed of warp 9.786."

"Wow, that's pretty fast!"

Cale somehow felt attracted to the ship's primary power core. He stood so close to this magnificent piece of engineering that he could feel its pulsating energy.

"Don't lock yourself up in here."

Cale laughed. That was slightly exaggerated. After main engineering and a few other important sections, they had about half an hour left before the ship's official launch. Decorating crew quarters wasn't really an option. The _Valkyrie_ had actually become a ship of war because of the Machine threat so they decided to take a look at all the installed upgrades on their own. One of many new things was a small holodeck. The current situation didn't allow for much playtime but Cale figured that two hours a week had to be possible.

Meanwhile Gune had arrived on the ship. The little alien scientist had received permission from his Captain to arrive later because he insisted on having a whole bunch of goodies being transferred to the _Valkyrie_. Korso found him in the room originally labeled as 'navigation'. It was enlarged by taking the space of the nearby storage room and dubbed the 'science & astrometrics lab'. Korso figured that Gune would feel right at home by looking at all the advanced equipment installed in this new high-tech room.

"Is everything according to your wishes Gune?" Korso asked with a laugh, leaning against the doorpost.

"Captain must not worry about Gune. Gune thinks it's all terrific!" The alien examined every piece of equipment with great care and looked for places to store his own inventions. He was officially a Republic officer, wearing a new lab coat in the same navy blue color as the standard uniforms, though Korso knew very well that Gune was far from being a regular crewmember. A patch on both his shoulders branded him a member of the science division. "Gune is going to have a great time on Captain's new ship, yes he will. No need to worry, Captain. Gune will be on the bridge at 0900 hours, just as he said."

"That's my Gune."

The alien's eccentric behavior made him feel right at home. It was practically the only thing that had stayed the same.

When Jason returned to his own ship he headed straight for the bridge. His crew would have the ship ready for departure by now, so after the final systems check they would be ready to go. Wondering about his family, about Sandra, about his son Alex and daughter Jessica he wandered through the corridors until he finally realized he had walked past a turbolift twice without noticing.

"_Stop pondering,"_ he thought by himself, heading back in the direction he came from. _You're a Starfleet officer. A capable officer with his own command. You can't throw that away because of homesickness._ He stepped inside the turbolift which was empty. Being alone he closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the subtle vibrations, listening to the soft rushing sound of the turbolift passing by each level. He couldn't help but think about taking advantage of the little stop at the starbase and trying to establish a subspace comlink with his wife. The starbase was capable of establishing two-way communications using the trans-dimensional gates as a carrier. At first he found it odd that he was having such trouble with being far from home. He had been on a long-term deep space mission before and never made such a big deal out of it. Maybe it was just this strange unknown universe with many dangers lurking around every corner. Maybe because the Federation could be at war at any moment now. Tensions between different factions were already on the rise before he got this assignment and left. _Now get back to work._ He forced himself to drop the thought. _These people need you._ When he arrived on deck one his bridge staff informed him about ship's status. The _Highlander_ was ready to go as he requested. They just needed the ready signal from the other two ships.

"Captain on deck!" the officer yelled to get everyone's attention.

Ayko firmly stepped on the command deck of the battlecruiser Tsun'rhaa, a newcomer following carefully in her footsteps. Baring her teeth she looked at her officers one by one. She slammed her hand on the shoulder of the new officer who happened to be Preed, now wearing the male version of the same leather military outfit of the Akrennian Militia.

"This is Preed. He's lucky I found him down there. Can't let good talent go to waste." Preed who examined his surroundings to see what his new 'home' looked like noticed that the officers in Ayko's domain glanced at him, each one of them in his or her own different way. Some of them didn't seem to care or pretended they didn't care that another soldier had joined their crew. Others looked viciously, squeezing their eyes to slits, baring their teeth to show hostility. The bridge of the Akrennian ship of war was a more or less circular room with two deck levels. The outer ring was low, the inner one heightened with the Captain's chair in the middle and two more with consoles, on both sides next to it. The high-ranking officers in these chairs sat with their backs toward their Captain. The equipment looked bulky, sturdy and built to take a beating. The main viewer was triangular in shape with two chairs occupied by crew in front of it. There were consoles and monitors along the walls of the outer ring with chairs occupied by officers operating them. Banners of the Akrennian Empire dominated the back wall of the bridge making the place emanate militarism. "Preed is a soldier with experience," Ayko barked. "From now on he will take his place as a member of this crew and will serve the Akrennian Empire until death."

As Ayko continued her speech one of her officers in the front of the bridge whispered to his neighbor.

"She found herself a new friend; I can see it in her eyes," the gray-furred Akrennian said quietly.

"She can have him," the female Akrennian with the sand-colored skin and deep green eyes whispered back. "He is just aboard and she already made him Lieutenant and member of her bridge staff."

The unfortunate officer with the big mouth hadn't noticed that his Captain had stopped talking and now stood behind him until he heard her voice in his left ear.

"Do you have a problem with that, Lieutenant?" she spat.

"Of course not ma'am, I-"

He nearly choked as Ayko pulled her arm around his neck and held the sharp of her blade against his skull at the base of his ear. Blood trickled down his face into the fine fur covering his whole body as the blade cut a few millimeters into his flesh.

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut before my knife happens to slip," she whispered in the ear she threatened to cut off. "Is that clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am," he replied laboriously.

"Now set a course for the Huk'lath system!" She took her place in the center chair. "Take your station!" she barked at Preed, gesturing at the left console on the heightened level.

Preed sat down at the station left from Ayko with his back toward his Captain. The chair on the right was taken by Ayko's First Officer. He was among the officers who had shot him a vicious glance the moment he entered and he had felt instantly that this Akrennian male was a potential rival to watch out for.

Aboard the _Son of the Empire_ the bridge didn't feel as hostile. Her Captain was helping his crew to get everything ready for departure and Kero was just reviewing a new report about the sensor drone destroyed by one of the patrolling Starfleet vessels. The stealth technology the Machines utilized was quite impressive and if the Federation ship hadn't been running active sensor sweeps it would have remained undetected. He looked up from the report when someone he thought he knew entered the bridge but upon closer inspection it turned out to be someone different. It was the other Mantrin of the Fjetahna race and Kiké's sister Naea who would be his helm officer for this shift. She looked only one or two years older and had the same characteristics as her younger sister but she radiated more self-confidence. Not that he didn't like Kiké. She just had to trust a little more in herself and her abilities.

"Morning Captain," she said, her voice having a friendly touch to it.

"You must be Naea."

The young Mantrinesse stopped and turned around, her long brown-reddish mane swaying elegantly through the air before falling back to its original position.

"That's right, sir. Naea from the House of Sijal," she said proudly.

Her voice was more feminine and less girlish than that of her younger relative.

"Yeah, I heard from your sister. I got to know her better the past few days."

Naea crossed her muscular arms and shook her head.

"Sir, is Kiké in trouble again?" she asked with a bit of disappointment in her voice.

Kero laughed but was surprised too.

"Not at all. I complemented her on her work."

Naea's face brightened up and she smiled.

"It's great to hear that my sister's doing well, sir."

"You may take your station, Lieutenant." He shot a quick glance at the final system's check. "Open a channel to the other ships."

"Channel open, sir."

"This is the _Son of the Empire_. We're ready to leave. Course set for the Sogowa system. Ready to go when you are."

"_Valkyrie _here. We're ready to leave space dock."

"This is the _Highlander_. Good to go."

"Let's take her out."

Korso had taken his position in the new Captain's chair on the upper deck and all of his officers had taken their positions and were ready to proceed.

"Course plotted, Captain," Gune said from the co-pilot's seat left from Akima's.

"Docking clamps released, sir," Ensign Yani Cho reported from the left one of the three consoles on the upper deck behind the Captain's chair.

"Bringing main power and main drive systems online," Akima said.

The systems responded perfectly to the taps of her fingers on the console. The main ion-thrusters jumped to life, pushing the new and enhanced _Valkyrie _out of space dock. The ship responded flawlessly and she could already feel herself merging with the giant machine; the bond between ship and pilot.

"This is Republic Command. Good luck, Captain. Bring back some good news."

"I'll make it sound good to you. Korso out."

The new propulsion systems were certainly powerful and it didn't take long for the ship to catch up with the others.

"Proceed to warp everyone, engage," Jason ordered over the com as the _Valkyrie_ lined up with them.

All three ships activated their warp engines, punching them toward their destination at speeds hundreds of times the speed of light. A short time after the three vessels had left the system, the _Highlander _was hailed by the Captain of the USS _Capella_.

"Do you want another ship to accompany you on this mission, Jason?" Captain Halloway asked.

"That's a negative Greg. Just keep patrolling the Andali system. I know it's not the most entertaining job but it sure is an important one. Just take turns."

"Aye, Captain. Gregory out."

"Captain's log, RSS _Valkyrie_, February 4th, 3044. We're the first Republic starship that left space dock and so far everything seems to be in full working order. We're currently headed for Federation starbase _Titan_ where Captain Pierce will dock to replenish his ship's antimatter supply. In the meantime, we'll proceed together with the Mantrin warship _Son of the Empire_ to Sogowa to hear more about a recent discovery they made that could be important to the new Republic as a whole. We will join them and gather the information we need. Computer, save recording."

_**Authors note: Music track 15 (Distress)**_

With the three vessels moving at warp nine, it wouldn't take long for them to reach starbase _Titan_. However, during their little trip, Captain Jason Pierce received a most disturbing transmission from the starbase.

"Contact the other ships. We have to increase speed."

"Something wrong, Jason?" Korso asked.

"Go ahead," Kero said.

Both their faces appeared simultaneously on the main viewer.

"We've just received word from starbase _Titan_. A fleet of enemy vessels is moving in on an intercept course. They'll reach the starbase in twelve minutes. However we are still forty minutes away. We have to increase speed."

"By how much?"

"If we increase our speed to warp nine point six, we can reach the starbase in eighteen minutes."

"Eh, Jason?" Kero said a little worried. "My ship can't hold that speed for long."

"Mine neither." The tone of his voice hadn't changed though. "But if there's a chance we can be of assistance at the starbase we have to try."

"You've done a lot for us, Jason," Korso said. "I think it's only fair that we return some of the favor."

"I agree," Kero added. "We'll assist you."

Jason smiled. He sort of knew that neither Captain Korso nor Kero would let him down.

"Helm, current speed?"

"We're currently moving at warp nine point two, sir."

"Increase to nine six. I don't know how many ships Starfleet has stationed in the sector but they could always use the extra help."

"Aye Captain, increasing speed to warp nine point six."

The Captains of all three ships could hear the increase in pitch in the hum of the warp engines as they sped up to higher speeds. Moving at high warp, it would take them less than eighteen minutes to reach the starbase. _Let it be enough to make a difference._

"Picking up the enemy fleet on long range sensors, Captain."

Still six minutes away and with the injectors running hot, the three ships rushed through the vast area of empty space in an attempt to aid their allies.

"How many ships?"

"Sir, I don't know for sure but sensors are picking up dozens of contacts, over a hundred."

"You cannot be serious," Jason wanted to say but instead he checked the readings on his own console.

"Jason," Kero interjected.

"We see it too," Korso said, "Jason, there're over a hundred ships incoming at the starbase. If they attack, I doubt there's much we can do."

"But we'll support you nevertheless," Kero said bravely. "I don't think that all of them are battleships. Each patrol the Empire encountered was accompanied by at least one carrier. The biggest part of that fleet is the attack fighters. Taking them all out will prove quite a challenge though."

On board the _Son of the Empire_ Stith rubbed her hands. She already looked forward to the upcoming battle just like most of Kero's crew did. After all, Mantrins were natural born warriors with a lust for battle and she was no exception.

"Don't worry, Cap. Stith's about to join the party."

Kero turned to face his tactical officer and beloved one and smiled.

"I'm not questioning your shooting skills, Lieutenant. But the question is: Can you take 'em all out before the starbase is destroyed or damaged beyond repair?"

Stith smiled confidently, her eyes flashing for a split second. It was a challenge and she was more than happy to accept.

"I'm not saying that it's impossible, sir. Just trust me."

"Sir we're receiving another transmission from the starbase. It's pretty garbled. They must be trying to jam their outgoing communications. I'll see if I can clean it up."

His ops. officer tried the best he could to filter out the static from the incoming transmission before putting it up on speakers.

"This is the Federation starbase _Titan_ to any ships in range… under heavy attack… Machine vessels. We don't… enough ships to defend us. We've… three ships. Please assist. Our coordinates are…"

But after that only static came through and the rest of the transmission was inaudible through the noise.

"ETA!"

"Approximately two minutes."

"Increase speed to nine seven!"

"Sir, the antimatter injectors are already past maximum safe temperatures. If we keep pushing them further we'll end up-"

"I'm aware of the risks Ensign, just do it."

"Aye sir," his helmsman replied with a slight nod.

With the _Highlander_'s engines pushed past their safety limits the Federation ship moved ahead of the formation. Accompanied by the alarming sound the engines were beginning to make, the ship started to tremble because the hull wasn't designed to handle the stress at these speeds.

"Can we keep up with them?"

Cale checked the readings. Temperatures still read as okay.

"It's possible but not recommended."

"Do it. Let's see what these new engines can do."

"Bridge to engineering."

"Majih here, sir," Kero's chief engineer replied.

"Can we increase our speed?"

The relatively small very dark brown-skinned Mantrin of the Lesser Arcanna race stood in one mess of an engine room. Pushed to their limits, the injectors were glowing hot and the cooling system was under a lot of stress.

"Negative, sir. We have to reduce speed or we'll blow out the entire plasma injection system," Majih replied with concern in his voice.

"Kero to _Highlander_. Jason, I'm afraid I'll have to reduce speed."

"That's okay, you can't help if your ship is dead in the water."

"Water?"

"Human expression. No time to explain. Save your injectors."

"Kero to engineering. We're reducing speed to warp nine."

"I'm sorry, sir," Majih said disappointedly. "She's a fine ship but designed for combat not racing." Kero smiled at his remark.

"That's okay, Commander. Keep up the good work. Bridge out."

Leaning back in his chair he stretched his long legs and let go of the frustration he felt. An aggressive growl wouldn't be very professional of him so he kept it by a frustrated snort. His ship was capable of one hell of a fight but sustaining high warp speeds for extended periods wasn't her strongest point. A Captain must know his ship and each ship had its weaknesses no matter how advanced or big. Stith was disappointed that she missed a chance to participate in a battle. A Mantrin never avoided battle but the fact that there was just nothing she could do made it even more frustrating. _You'll get your fight, girl._ _Kirliya wants you to be patient for just a little longer._

The _Highlander_ was the first ship of the three to drop out of warp and a little late too as her Captain hadn't accounted for the current situation around the starbase. The ship jumped in the middle of a mess. Wreckage was flying everywhere, big chucks of destroyed ships scraping her shields as her helmsman did everything he could to evade the larger pieces.

"Emergency evasive!"

The mighty vessel trembled, blowing out a couple of relays on the bridge as her shields were hit by debris. The area had been turned into a ship's graveyard. Not just debris of enemy attack fighters and battleships but the wreckage of Starfleet vessels was part of it as well. The destroyed saucer section of an Excelsior Refit class starship stating USS _Jefferson_ drifted close over the forward bow while the remains of her star drive section were scattered all over the area. The odd thing was that there was no sign of the enemy fleet left except for the last warp flashes of their ships leaving the sector. The _Highlander _came through the debris field with some minor damage to shields and the surface of the hull. The _Son of the Empire_ had received the same treatment. Only the small and agile _Valkyrie_ was fast enough to make it through without a scratch.

"My God," Korso blurted out.

The starbase itself had taken quite a beating as well. The two kilometer long mushroom-shaped installation was a modified design, capable of accommodating more ships at the same time due to its added docking arms. On the left side from the position they were currently viewing the structure a long extended frame stretched out to a huge one kilometer in diameter reinforced ring structure that stabilized the trans-dimensional gate. The base was in a bad shape. It suffered from multiple hull breaches and one of the massive docking arms attached to the main superstructure was completely torn off. Luckily the ring structure surrounding the gate was still intact. A single heavily damaged Galaxy class starship missing the right warp nacelle limped back toward the war-torn starbase. It was one of the few ships that had come out of the battle alive.

"This is Captain Jason Pierce of the Federation starship _Highlander _to starbase _Titan_. Starbase _Titan_ please respond." There was no response. They probably took out the com too. If they had destroyed the gate, they would have had a serious problem as the Federation forces on this side would have been trapped with no way of going back. However if the main reactor had taken damage, chances were that this could still happen. "Starbase _Titan_ this is the USS _High…_"

_**Authors note: Music track 16 (Casualties (1))**_

"We read ya _Highlander_. Are you a sight for sore eyes, Captain. Looks like you scared them away."

The transmission was audio only. The main transceiver had taken damage in the attack. Fortunately they used a different transceiver to establish connections through the gate so they could still call for help from the Alpha Quadrant.

"Looks like you could use some help."

"We've taken heavy damage to the outer hull. We're still venting atmosphere because some of the emergency force field generators are not responding."

"I'll start beaming over damage control teams. Asking permission to dock. My ship's running low on antimatter."

"Permission granted _Highlander_. Lucky for you they didn't hit our supply."

While Jason ordered his helmsman to find a working docking tunnel with an intact airlock, Kero contacted Jason and asked if they needed any help.

"Thanks for the offer, but you should go back to your homeworld to see what your people have discovered. It could be important to all of us. Let's face it. This was an open attack on a Federation starbase. We are at war."

"I understand. We'll be on our way to Sogowa. Contact me there when you arrive. Good luck Jason. Kero out."

"I wish we could've been here earlier, Jason," Korso said, expressing his sympathy for the losses. "Don't worry Joseph, we'll make it. Reinforcements are on their way. I'll follow you as soon as those pods are full." "All right. Korso out."

As the _Son of the Empire_ and the _Valkyrie_ warped out and resumed their original course the _Highlander_ docked with the starbase, her Captain preparing himself to leave the ship. He felt a bit unnerved when asked to come to the Admiral's office. He had a brief contact with Admiral Cunnington before he left his ship and he could tell by the tone of the Admiral's voice that the news he had to tell him couldn't be good. He had gone back to the starbase in a hurry after the formation of the Republic. He could only wonder why but the upcoming conversation could get him some answers to his questions. He stood in front of the cracked transparent doors with the Starfleet logo imprinted in the glasswork, flattening the creases out of his uniform before entering the room with hesitation. The look on the flag officer's face said enough. John Cunnington looked up from his desk when he entered and still managed to produce a faint smile, despite the ruined state of his office. Like most Starfleet Admirals, he was an older man with traces of gray in his brown hair.

"You wanted to see me Admiral."

It was more like stating a fact than asking a question.

"Sorry for the mess, Jason. As you'll understand I didn't have time to clean up yet," he said, gesturing at the damage the attack at caused on his office. "I must say you did a fine job helping out those people."

"I'm but a Starfleet officer doing his job, sir."

"True, but you can be proud of yourself, Jason. You've helped the humans in this universe build up an entire world in a few weeks time, urged them to create an intergalactic alliance and gained some valuable allies for the Federation. You are to be commended. You have a good reason to be proud."

"Permission to speak freely, Admiral."

"Granted."

"Sir, I couldn't have done it without my crew nor the other Starfleet Captains stationed in this sector."

"On the contrary Jason, you're the one who talked the human race in this universe into an alliance with other species." Cunnington's face suddenly turned very serious. Now it was time for the bad news. "I'm afraid we have more pressing things for concern. I have frequent contact with Starfleet Command and yesterday I've received word that the Machines that entered our universe have begun a major push into Federation territory. Several border outposts have already been attacked and we've lost contact with the Federation colony on Weyan II. If things aren't bad enough, we recently had an unexpected encounter with our one true enemy until now."

Jason suddenly felt his throat becoming a little dry. The Federation's most dangerous enemy was in some way even more frightening than the Machines. The fact that they assimilated humanoid bodies, turning them into mindless drones connected to a central consciousness made them the most terrifying foe they had ever encountered.

"The Borg?"

He already knew the answer to his own question. Cunnington nodded slightly.

"We'd lost eight ships in the first two minutes after the first shot was fired. They sent a fleet of sixty-two vessels composed of Federation, Klingon and Romulan ships to intercept the five cubes. Only nine made it back. When all else failed Starfleet authorized the use of transphasic torpedoes." He sighed and scratched behind his ear. "You've probably figured it out for yourself but the Federation is now officially at war in two different universes."

Jason was silent for a moment. He somehow knew that something like this would happen eventually. The lives of Federation citizens including his wife and kids and also the citizens of the newly found Republic were in the hands of people like him. People who were willing to risk their own lives for the safety of billions of others.

"I except my duties as a Starfleet officer and I will continue to serve the Federation in times of peace and war. You can count on me, sir."

"I know I can, Jason. Your orders are simple for the moment. When your ship's ready, I want you to follow Captain Kero to his homeworld. Those Mantrins are a competent species and they might have discovered something that could turn the momentum of this starting war into our favor for the time being. You are to destroy any hostile ships you encounter on your way there. Any questions, Captain?"

"Sir, I haven't seen my wife and kids in a while. I'd like to talk to them, even for a few minutes."

John smiled.

"Of course Jason. I know that family's important to you. Permission granted. The trans-dimensional transceiver should still be up. After that, you are to proceed to the Sogowa system." Feeling a bit more relieved he thanked John for his approval. Just the thought of hearing their voices again filled him with a feeling of joy. "Keep me posted. Dismissed."


	24. Chapter 22 The Defense

**The Defense**

* * *

The _Son of the _Empire and _Valkyrie_ were on a straight course for Sogowa, traveling at high warp. Things were really starting to heat up and Korso had the nasty feeling that it would only get worse from here on. What happened at the Federation starbase was an example of what they were capable of. That wasn't just a lightly defended spaceport, but a well-armed installation with several ships defending it.

"I really wonder why these Machines don't focus their attacks on a single system. They're randomly targeting ships and stations, both military and civilian. Fortunately they didn't seem bound to finish what they started; turned tail and ran as soon as we arrived. Normally I would've called it cowardice but somehow I don't think they're familiar with that concept. We've resumed previous course and-"

"Captain, it's me Brian. Please report to the bridge, sir. We've received another distress call."

He cursed mentally but jumped up without hesitation. Any delays could cost unnecessary lives and it was likely they were the only ships in the direct vicinity and capable of being there in time.

"That's what I meant by random targeting. Computer save recording."

"All right, I'm here! Let's hear it!"

"Putting it up, sir."

The female speaker obviously tried not to panic, thought she couldn't entirely keep it out of her voice.

"This is Commander Kyra James from the Texas drifter colony to any ships in range! We're under attack! Enemy warships are attacking the station! We're unable to defend ourselves! Please help us! I repeat-"

The transmission was interrupted by static, possibly because the Machines had activated another jammer array to prevent the colony from receiving aid.

"Commander James," Korso murmured, the image of her face flashing through his mind. He took his seat on the upper deck. "We've gotta respond to their distress call. There're a few thousand people on that station. Get me the _Son of the Empire_."

The large bubble-shaped window turned opaque and the bridge of the Imperial warship appeared.

_**Authors note: Music track 17 (Help is On Its Way – (Two Steps from Hell – Wrath of Sea (no choir)))**_

"Captain, we've just received another distress call."

"We picked it up too," Kero confirmed. "Stith here told me that Commander James happens to be an old acquaintance of both you and her."

"We've met once or twice but yeah, I know her. Anyway, I feel obligated to change course. Are you with us?"

"Of course we're with you. We're altering our heading. ETA, three minutes."

As the two ships of war altered their course in mid-warp to reach the Kaldani system, their crews prepared for battle.

"Let's see what those new shields and weapon systems can do. Red alert!"

"Aye sir," Lieutenant Reese replied while bringing the newly installed shield system online and charging the weapons to full power.

Aboard the _Son of the Empire_ Stith did the same thing. She activated the ship's weapons and shield systems and prepared both the warship and herself for battle. _Time to do my thing_. In some way she felt the urge to give a loud war cry. It was something she was used to but that was on the _Valkyrie_. She was now an officer aboard an Imperial warship. However Kero felt the urge as well as her. He rose on his massive legs and raised his voice.

"This is Captain Kero to all hands. We're going to battle. And we will fight not only for the Empire but for the newly found Republic as well. Long live the Empire and long live Republica Planitia!" The entire ship trembled when every crewman flattened its ears and let out a roaring war cry. "Let's make sure that they'll never know what hit 'em! Red alert! All hands to battle stations!"

As the regular lighting dimmed the alert lighting shrouded the bridge in a red glow. Though the rest of the crew was obviously more excited than the Captain to throw themselves into battle, Stith noticed he still couldn't resist the call. He was a Mantrin after all.

The two ships dropped out of warp a little closer to the colony than usual and found themselves in the middle of an ongoing fight. 'Massacre' however would be a better term to describe the current situation. The station's defensive guns were already taken offline by the multiple squadrons of attack fighters swarming the installation like angry bees. Their carriers were holding position at a safe distance, hiding in the stellar dust cloud. Three larger cruisers were trying to get within transporter range. Two more vessels, guarded by fighters and a couple of smaller warships emitted a powerful jamming field, preventing the colony from getting help. The Machines made no exception between armed and unarmed vessels. A Ferrelian cargo ship trying to make a run for it was immediately targeted by several attackers which discharged their powerful cutting lasers into the drive section. The entire aft was torn off when the engines exploded, throwing the remaining wreckage rapidly decompressing into space, gasses leaking from multiple hull breaches. The unfortunate inhabitants of the drifter colony were caught completely by surprise and were making a desperate attempt to draw away some of the attention. A small number of severely outdated rack-tack fighters blasted out of the small hangar bay on one of the upper levels. Those pilots had to be brave, outnumbered and outgunned, knowing they were almost certainly going to die. The colony had taken severe damage and was losing atmosphere from multiple breaches in her hull. If they didn't get any help soon, the colony and everyone on board would be finished.

"All right, let's take out the jammers and the larger ships first," Korso suggested. The short-range comlink between their ships couldn't be jammed by the Machines so they still had a way to coordinate their attack. "Those destroyers will certainly try to stop us but I think we can do it."

"We _must_ because we're gonna need some more help taking them all out."

"If you take out the attacking vessels, we'll take out those jammers with a precision shot."

"Torpedoes armed. All laser batteries charged to full, Captain."

"Mister Reese is relying on your piloting skills now, Akima. Give him your best."

"Understood, Captain."

"Korso to Captain Kero; begin the attack."

"I'm on it, Joseph. Lieutenant, target those destroyers."

The enemy was now within weapons range but hadn't considered them a threat yet.

"Target locked, sir," Stith replied, waiting for the signal the blast them to pieces.

"Fire!"

The _Son of the Empire_'s massive forward photon cannons fired a barrage of shots that rained down on the vessel's shields. When the shields were down, a couple of implosion missiles left the launch tubes and slammed into the hull. The matter of which the hull was composed imploded in on itself causing a massive detonation that sent the remaining debris colliding with the shields of the defending ships. The enemy fleet responded immediately by sending in the remaining destroyers and a couple of attack fighters to destroy the new ships now designated as a threat. The destroyers came in fast, their devastating forward weapons array spitting beams and bolts at them. The _Son of the Empire_ trembled as a few volleys impacted on her shields.

"Shields are at eighty-four percent."

"Same tactic as before people. Wait until they get past us. Then we'll fire our aft weapons array into their drive section!"

When the destroyers had exhausted their forward weapons in the bombing run they broke formation to recharge and prepare for another attack but were targeted by the _Son of the Empire_'s guns before they got the chance. More squadrons of the small ray-shaped attack fighters formed the brunt of the new wave while the jamming cruisers started to provide support fire from several gun turrets positioned all over the hull. The crew of the _Son of the Empire_ however wasn't easily afraid and flew right into the enemy formation, all port and starboard guns blazing as they went through. The _Valkyrie_ closely flanked the mighty Imperial warship, giving off some support fire as well with her new upgraded laser cannons. She even managed to destroy a couple of fighters herself while lining up to strike the main target with a few precise torpedo shots.

"Can you help me take out their shields once we're in range?" Korso yelled over the com over the sounds of battle and the discharge of the lasers.

"Certainly," Kero replied. "Arm ion torpedoes."

"Torpedoes loaded, Captain," Stith confirmed a few seconds later.

"Release them," Kero ordered as soon as the first of the jammers came within range.

Their attack was synchronized with the _Valkyrie. _The four ion torpedoes were accompanied by long streaks from the _Valkyrie_'s lasers and his own ship's photon cannons. Just as they considered their attack successful a few of the remaining attack fighters sacrificed themselves by throwing their hulls directly in front of the torpedo strike. The torpedoes disabled the fighters' shields and fried every electrical system on board, sending them adrift but the remainder of their attack was absorbed by the cruiser's shields without causing any significant damage.

"I can't believe it," Korso said, both frustrated and surprised. "They actually sacrificed themselves for the larger cruiser." He checked the situation which didn't look good. The colony was in very bad shape and would be completely lost if they didn't find a way to stop their attack soon. "Fire another shot! We can still take 'em out!"

Kero relayed the order to Stith with a slight nod to send of a second volley of ion torpedoes. Without any cover they now struck their target's shields in full force, disabling the protective energy barrier, leaving the ship open to attack.

"Perfect," Derek aboard the _Valkyrie_ muttered under his breath. His targeting scanners had found the vessel's warp core. A volley of the new photon torpedoes would be enough to take care of it.

"First target destroyed. Lock on to the second one."

He instructed Akima to move over to the next target.

"Acknowledged, sir," she replied, maneuvering the ship through the remaining pieces of debris.

This time however they weren't planning to let them get in range so easily. The _Son_ _of the Empire_ trembled heavily, a couple of relays on the bridge blowing out. The remaining attack fighters attacked the Imperial warship from astern. Korso's ship was about to receive the same treatment and he immediately called for evasive maneuvers.

"Blast! We really got their attention now!"

"You bet!" Kero yelled back over the sound of exploding circuits.

The positive side however was that they were drawing away some of the attention from the drifter colony. The station couldn't take many more hits while they still had their shields. They were almost within range but Kero's ship took a beating from the swarming attack fighters and her pilot had trouble keeping the ship in the correct firing angle to launch another assault run.

"They're targeting our engines!"

"Evasive maneuvers! Continue firing!"

"They're just too fast for us," Naea growled, switching to a different tactic. "Sir, I have to break off the attack or risk losing the engines."

Kero growled in frustration, slamming his massive fist on the armrest of his chair, leaving a dent into the metal.

"Shields are at sixty-two percent!" They were hit directly again. An explosion sounded somewhere on the lower decks. "Forty percent!"

"Korso we could use some help here."

"Turn the ship around," Korso ordered.

As Akima brought the ship about, Derek targeted the enemy ships currently harassing the Mantrin warship. Admitted, the man was good with the _Valkyrie_'s weapon systems, though not as good as his former weapons expert. It was a thought that briefly came up in Korso's head but now was no time to question his gunner's abilities. Stith herself was having a hard time keeping the enemy off the _Son of the Empire_'s back. They evaded quite a number of her shots and just kept coming.

"C'mon, _c'mon_!" she hissed through clenched teeth. She was extremely focused at what she was doing, keeping the ship's cannons firing while Naea tried out the wildest maneuvers with the massive ship but they were just too fast. _Where are those new Dominators when you need 'em?_ Even with the _Valkyrie_ assisting her there were just too many enemies picking at them. "Shields are failing, sir!" she said without looking up from the tactical displays.

Explosions sounded somewhere on the lower decks. The _Valkyrie_ evaded most of the shots but started to take damage herself.

"She can't hold out much longer, sir," Yani said, evading the sparks that erupted from her console.

"Gune's scared to die!" the Grepoan screamed, protecting his head with his hands.

"You're not gonna die Gune! Not today!" Korso yelled, trying to calm down the alien. There was no room for thoughts like that yet. "Cale, can you divert more power to the shields?"

"I'll try, sir. And don't worry Gune. We still got our shields. They won't get through 'em."

Just when the whole situation was beginning to look desperate for the two ships and the colony, help arrived just in time in the form of three Indarian battlecruisers which seemed to come out of nowhere. With weapons and shields charged to full power they flew right past the two ships in distress with all guns blazing. They took out most of the swarming enemy fighters and started bombing the other cruiser's shields in the same strafing run. A devastating barrage of lasers, torpedoes and missiles penetrated the second jamming cruiser's shields and eventually the hull causing the vessel to explode. The Captains of both ships were hailed by the Indarian Fleet Commander.

"Need help?" the fox-like alien grunted with a smirk, baring his sharp teeth.

"Thanks. Just in time."

"Now let's focus on those cruisers," Kero suggested, ordering Naea to get closer.

"Crap," Korso brought out, signaling Akima to follow.

The enemy cruisers had already entered transporter range and they were well aware of the horrible inventions these things carried aboard. Now that the jamming field was gone they would be able to hail the colony, provided the subspace transceiver was still intact. As Akima moved the ship in formation with the rest of the small fleet, he ordered his First Officer to open a channel with the heavily damaged drifter colony which was barely holding together. With the small attack ships holding fire and the cruisers well within transporter range of the colony he knew what was going on in there.

"Channel open, sir."

No one could make sense out of the incoming transmission. The com system was screwed up and the only thing that could be heard was the massacre going on aboard the station. All com channels were mixed up and the entire bridge was suddenly filled with the terrified screams of dying people on board together with the buzzing sound of the vicious spinner drones. It was horrible and words could not express what went through the minds of the crew right now but it made Yani feel sick. She stood up from her seat and staggered to the back of the bridge where she vomited in the corner.

"Cut it off!" Korso yelled. He stood up and quickly rushed to calm down his officer. Her reaction was not exaggerated. He felt like throwing up too when his mind began producing images as a reaction to the sound. "Are you all right?" He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed softly. The ship trembled again. Derek and Akima had re-engaged in another battle with the remaining enemy ships. Brian had taken over command from him. Yani stood in the corner, using the bulkhead for support, panting. He had seen the tears on her face before she wiped them off with her sleeve. "If you're not feeling well, take my ready room."

"I'm fine, sir."

She was still shaking a little when she sat down behind her console and took a few deep breaths.

"You sure?"

"Yes sir, it was just… When I heard those screams…"

"I understand," he said, rubbing her shoulder.

"Thank you, sir."

She turned to face her console, trying to concentrate on doing her job, like her Captain expected.

"Stith, concentrate your fire on the right cruiser. It's vulnerable now." The Indarian battleships had tipped the outcome of the battle into their favor. The first enemy warship was already destroyed and the second one open to attack. Their support fire was quite powerful but not powerful enough to hold off five ships. However it was because of this assumption and the limited available data about these ships that they couldn't anticipate the attack. Something went horribly wrong when the enemy ship launched a guided torpedo of unknown type at one of the Indarian vessels. No one expected it nor could they do anything about it. It was surprisingly fast and gave off a bright white light before it broke through the vessel's shields and slammed into the mid section causing a small but tremendously powerful subspace shockwave that broke the ship in two. The two remaining halves spun completely out of control. The crew was dead, no one needed confirmation. There was no inertial dampener capable of compensating such an enormous shift in momentum. All four remaining Captains looked in astonishment for a second, amazed and horrified that one torpedo could destroy and entire ship with such ease. "By Kirliya, what was that?"

"Some kind of shockwave torpedo," Korso replied.

"Sensors detected a massive localized subspace distortion; my readings were off the scale," Yani said, shocked by her own discovery.

"We better take out those ships before they use them again," the Indarian Commander suggested.

Korso was already thinking a few steps ahead. If they managed to destroy the cruisers, it would stop the massacre the spinner drones inside the colony were causing. But if the spinner drones on the station were destroyed there would be nothing left to withhold the remaining fighters from destroying the colony. When their small fleet attacked and destroyed the more vulnerable one of the two remaining cruisers he came up with a new plan.

"Hold your fire."

"Captain, they will destroy the colony if we don't stop them."

"True, but by doing it this way we'll get everyone killed. We have to destroy the carriers first or the remaining attack fighters won't have a reason to hold their fire anymore."

"He's right," Kero said, realizing what the human was up to. "Hold your fire, Lieutenant."

"Aye sir."

"This is Korso to the Indarian Fleet Commander, how powerful are your weapons?"

"Powerful enough to destroy those carriers with ease," the Indarian replied with an evil grin. "I think I know what you're up to. We'll take out those carriers. You focus on the rest."

The Indarian warships moved out of attack formation and targeted the carriers instead, intercepting them at high speed.

"Does Captain think it will work?" Gune asked. "Little ships are very well capable of warp."

"Yeah, but I doubt that they'll be able to sustain warp speed for long," Yani said, studying the details of her scans. "They definitely need their carrier ships to move over distances greater than two light years. They're interlinked to the carriers so that means they have a limited action radius."

"That explains why we didn't pick up a carrier the first time," Korso thought out loud. He remembered the first time the colony was attacked and back then no one detected a larger ship in the vicinity. "The carrier must've remained at a safe distance while the contents of her hangar bays attacked the colony."

"That means there's a pretty good chance that the remaining attack fighters will cease to function when their carriers are destroyed," Akima added.

Their reasoning was strengthened even more when the group of fighters surrounding the station now split in three with one squadron going after the Indarian battle group and the other two coming in at the _Valkyrie_ and the _Son of the Empire_. In order for their plan to work, they had to destroy the carriers simultaneously with the remaining cruiser or the last one would transport it's drones back and destroy the colony using conventional weapons.

"Okay hold 'em off until the carriers are destroyed. Disable those defensive batteries."

Akima carried out his orders before he was done talking. They had to act fast.

"Already on it, sir."

Aboard the Mantrin warship, Kero assisted Korso to the best of his and his ship's abilities.

"Keep 'em off their back! Disable those shields so that the _Valkyrie_ can take out the defenses."

"With pleasure, sir."

With target locks established, Stith fired another barrage with the ship's photon cannons. Multiple shots took out several attacking ships and caused the larger vessel's shields to buckle, leaving her open to attack. The _Valkyrie_ immediately took advantage of that by firing a few precise shots at the vessel's defensive guns. Several explosions tore the weapon systems off the hull and left gaping holes. If a crew had been aboard, they would've been sucked right into space. Though the shields of the _Son of the Empire_ were buckling and they were still being steadily hit, it couldn't spoil the fun she had blowing up all of those little pests. Meanwhile the devastating weaponry of the Indarian battlecruisers ripped through hulls as they attacked the only lightly armed and poorly protected carriers. With two of them blown to pieces and two more to go, it was only a matter of time before the attack fighters were harmless pieces of drifting metal. Part of the ships in pursuit had already ceased to function and drifted away into space when their comrades continued to follow the Indarian ships. It was of no use however as the Indarian assault group and the _Son of the Empire _and _Valkyrie_ began a coordinated attack. The massive Mantrin vessel launched a devastating missile attack while the _Valkyrie_ launched a full spread of photon torpedoes at their target. It was more than enough to ensure the destruction of the single vessel and the two Indarian warships had completed their task at the same time by obliterating the remaining carriers. With the carrier signal gone, the last of the fighters simply stopped functioning, all systems powering down, rendering them harmless. Adrift and unable to control their heading, some of them collided with each other destroying them in the process.

Korso ordered Lieutenant Reese to power down the weapon systems and let go of the tension he felt with a sigh of relief. They had been cutting it close. The colony was still there but the real question was: Was anyone still alive in there? _Let's get to it. We're not there yet._

"Okay that was some victory but we still have a difficult task at hand."

"You can count on our help, Captain," Kero assured him.

"Thanks. Prepare your rescue teams. Ensign, scan the colony for life signs. There were five thousand souls on that station on an average day. Some of them must have survived."

The colony had sustained so much damage that it would be a very difficult and very dangerous job to rescue any survivors. Whole sections had decompressed and it would be impossible to reach all the areas from a single docking position.

"Sir? You said five thousand people. I'm only reading two hundred and forty-three life signs; some of them very faint."

Korso closed his eyes and hit the palm of his hand against his forehead. _Damn it._ He cursed. It wasn't very professional but he couldn't help it. _Too late. We're just too damned late. If we had just- No. No time for that now._

"Akima, find a functioning docking hatch, one that wasn't damaged in the attack."

"Aye sir," she said, with a hint of both sadness and anger in her voice.

There weren't many suitable docking ports left. Kero's ship had found one and prepared to couple. As Akima and Yani tried to find one, Korso instructed the remaining Indarian vessels to patrol the area. The last thing they wanted was more Machines pointing their guns at them while they were hooked up to the colony. The Indarians agreed and next to running active sensor scans to detect enemy ships at long range they began transmitting a signal on a special frequency given by Korso so that Jason knew they were here. With a functioning docking port found, Akima docked the _Valkyrie_ and managed to establish a positive seal between the ship and the colony. Apparently there was still a breathable atmosphere in that section.

"Cale, Akima, Brian, you're with me."

He slid down the stairs and left the bridge, checking his standard equipment on the way out. They were gonna need some more stuff. The other officers followed leaving only Gune, Yani and Derek on the bridge.

"Better arrange some quarters," Derek suggested. "Gune, prep the medical bay. We're gonna have wounded soon."

"Yes Lieutenant."

The alien quickly made his way to the infirmary without looking back.

"I thought I was prepared for these kinds of things," Yani said with a sigh.

She felt ashamed to be the only one acting the way she did.

"No one's prepared for these kinds of things, especially not for war," her crewmate said to comfort her. "You can only brace yourself when the moment is there."

"Thank you, sir," she said gratefully and with a faint smile.

"Ah, drop the 'sir' part. I'm fine with being called Derek."

"Why can't we just beam those people out of there?"

"Because they could die in the matter stream if their injuries are too severe."

"You studied that device?"

"Thought it was interesting. Now let's go and assist Gune. These people need our help."


	25. Chapter 23 Evac Ops

**Evac. Ops.**

* * *

"Kero to all hands, I want medical teams standing by in the infirmary and rescue teams at the docking hatch! We're gonna rescue these people!" He looked over the bridge with a sparkle of determination in his eyes. Then he walked toward the turbolift. "Rilas you're with me."

The male Sogowan nodded and followed in his commanding officer's steps.

"Sir, permission to join the rescue team."

He turned around to face his tactical officer and girlfriend.

"I appreciate your efforts Lieutenant but I think those people have seen enough weapons for the rest of their lives."

"With all due respect sir, I've been at this station before and I know the layout," she said firmly.

"All right then. Step on it."

Down at the airlock, the rescue teams were doing their best trying to force open the double doors of the docking hatch. This wasn't a standard airlock for passengers but a large reinforced port for cargo with double slide doors. They were jammed, either due to lack of power or damage taken in the attack. A small slit, barely wide enough to get a finger through was their way in. One crewman slammed his hand on the metal and growled in frustration.

"Get some equipment down here! I want those doors open!" When he noticed his Captain, he saluted, forcing himself to calm down. "Sir! We're having some trouble with these doors sir but we'll get through."

"Better make it fast. We've got a lot of people in need of help on the other side."

Kero carefully checked every piece of equipment before hanging it on the belt around his waist and instructed Rilas and Stith to do the same.

"It can't be that bad," Stith grumbled, stepping in front of the doors. Pushed her fingers through the slit, she yanked at the huge solid pieces of metal using all her strength but she could just as well ask them to move aside. "Dammit!"

"Step aside," a very low and very heavy voice sounded close to her right ear. It was then that she noticed she was standing in the shadow of one of the largest Mantrins she had ever seen. He was truly massive. Standing more than eight feet tall he was even larger than Kero's father and the Emperor was among the largest examples of his race. Everything on this huge creature emitted pure strength. His dark green skin and hooked beak made clear he was a member of the very rare Ryrjhii race. They were quite aggressive but he wore the same red uniform meaning he was just as well a member of the crew as she was and that he had proven himself reliable in critical situations. Stith was stunned for a slight moment. Even Kero looked a bit small compared to him. He glared down his large muzzle with his trunk-sized arms crossed. She quickly stepped aside for the huge Mantrin to take a look at the situation. Stepping closer to the door, the Ryrjhii placed his ear on the metal and slammed his thick muscular tail against the door a couple of times to test its strength, leaving large dents in the material. "Shouldn't be too difficult," he muttered. Doing a step back he repeatedly battered his enormous shoulder against the door with quite a few times the strength of the average human male. As he threw his incredible strength and large weight against the metal the door started to buckle. "One last…" he said between clenched teeth.

For one more time he rammed against the doors which were completely twisted in the frame. With his brute force, he had created a fairly large opening in which he placed both his huge hands on each of the doors. Clenching his teeth he pushed with every bit of incredible strength, roaring when the doors started to give in. The result was an opening large enough to let a Mantrin through. Panting slightly, he stepped back to let the rescue teams perform their duty. Some of them were astonished for a second including Stith. She knew her species possessed excessive strength but what she had just seen even amazed her.

"Well done, Lieutenant," Kero praised.

The Ryrjhii quickly recovered from his use of strength.

"Captain," he muttered with a slight nod.

Kero and Rilas followed the rescue teams through the doors but Stith kept staring at the Ryrjhii until he walked on, intrigued by his appearance. Apparently he wasn't with one of the rescue teams which she thought was a mistake.

"Hey what's your name?" she said to his back.

He halted and looked over his shoulder.

"What for?"

"Because… I just…" _He's got a point there. _"Why aren't you on one of the rescue teams?" she changed the subject. "They can sure use your help."

"I'm not qualified to provide aid."

"Hey Stith, you gonna stay here and chat or are you coming with us?"

Kero had stuck his head around the corner with one ear flattened. He frowned.

"I'm sorry, sir. I just thought he could be of help. You know, clearing out any debris."

"Hmm, not a bad idea. Lieutenant you're with us."

He signaled the huge Mantrin. The Ryrjhii followed Stith through the remains of the docking hatch and they found themselves standing in the intestines of the war-torn drifter colony. Fires, sparking conduits and piles of rubble were around everywhere. Main power was offline making the place dark and ominous. The first injured survivors of the attack were brought in. A wounded human family with a father, mother and two children. The woman's arm was bent in a funny way, probably broken and all of them were bleeding out of several cuts and wounds all over their bodies.

"Get these people through!"

Rescue workers and medical personnel helped everyone to the safety of the ship. Kero's eyes met those of the woman as she walked past, supported by a member of his crew. They were filled with gratitude and relief. More survivors of all sorts of different species walked past. Their mission however was to look for people trapped under rubble or other obstacles that prevented them from getting to safety.

"Okay let's start searching."

As the Captain he prepared to take the lead, starting to make their way through an area that resembled a cargo bay but was now filled with piles of rubble and collapsed bulkheads. Kero, Stith, the Ryrjhii and the other search teams headed for the adjacent loading area that provided access to other parts of the complex. As Kero began assigning tasks, Stith decided to use the opportunity to find out more about her teammate.

"Now that we're gonna work together I still want your name."

The Ryrjhii looked aside at the for him far smaller Sogowan.

"You may call me Nunchaku."

"Mind if I just call you Nun?" she asked in a friendly manor.

He merely grunted with a slight nod of approval. The search teams began to work their way through the piles of rubble, clearing a path for the wounded and a safe passage for the anti-grav stretchers. They were still missing an important role in the team though.

"We still need a medic out here!"

"I'm here, sir," said a familiar and somewhat girlish voice.

Kiké approached their group, the badge of the medical department proudly pinned on her chest, a small case with medical equipment hanging on a band over her shoulder. Her Captain flattened an ear.

"Kiké? You're a medic?"

"Not officially, sir," she replied with a girlish laugh. "But I have a degree in medical and I'm qualified to provide basic medical aid in the field."

"Good enough for me. You're with us."

He was hard to miss but when the small Fjetahna girl caught Nunchaku in her glance her beak fell open for a second.

"Wow, you're big!"

Compared to him she was really tiny and his size had an intimidating effect on her. Bowing his back in a slightly exaggerated way he placed his massive clawed hands on his hips and scoffed.

"And I believe you are bit too young."

"Don't let my size fool ya. I can take excellent care of myself."

She crossed her arms in an indignant way, keeping one eye on him.

"Hey Kiké, you comin'?"

The massive Ryrjhii caught up with the rest of his team with a few huge steps.

"_Why are they always so quick to judge me?" _she thought irritatedly.

_**Authors note: Music track 18 (Horrors of War – (Earth 2160 Soundtrack – Ambient 01))**_

The five Mantrins took the scanning equipment from their belts and activated the powerful flashlights around their wrists before entering the dark corridors. There were several of them leading away from the loading dock to other parts of the station. It was virtually dark. The few lights still functioning spread a faint flickering shine, barely enough to see anything even for their kind. The darkness heightened their other senses however, their sharp hearing picking up all kinds of ominous sounds. The screeching of twisted metal, the rumbling sound of a bulkhead collapsing belowdecks, falling debris, sparking cables and the dripping of fluids from broken conduits were a few examples. On a station that had just been through hell it could have given any guy the creeps.

"Lieutenant, you've been on this station before. What're the likeliest places to find any survivors?"

His voice cut through the more or less silence like a blade. Stith called up a map using her scanner and tried to remember the layout of the station when it was still intact.

"The ship's docked at the eighteenth level. The _Valkyrie's_ docked at the lower levels where living quarters and engineering are located. They should be able to locate a decent number of survivors. The most likely place for us to find trapped people is on the command deck on level twenty-five and the cargo bays on level seventeen."

"Okay, how're we supposed to-"

His question was interrupted by a scream of some kind. The entire group pricked their ears to locate the source which in their case was even better and faster than using scanners. Increasing their pace they eventually reached an opening in the corridor leading to a larger room where there was still some light. The screams were from a crying human woman trapped behind debris from collapsed bulkheads. It was obvious she was injured. A male voice tried to calm her down but the pain was intense. On the opposite side of the opening one of the ferocious spinner drones had drilled itself into the bulkhead. It was disabled but judging by the blood covering the little machine the thing had already eaten itself through flesh and bone. The entrance of the room that had once been a mess hall was blocked by more debris. Rilas used his flashlight to pierce through the darkness behind the metal obstruction. The beam illuminated the faces of several humans and alien species including Akrennians, a Mantrin, a pair of Vusstrans and a Gvort, all with various sorts of injuries, some of them severe.

"Don't worry! Help is on the way!"

Members of the group breathed sighs of relief. A human officer and member of the station's crew came to him. He had used parts of his uniform as provisional bandages for the others whose injuries were worse. His cheek was covered in blood from a deep cut but he seemed to be okay for the most part. His face was a mixture of shock and relief.

"Thank God, you're here. We'd nearly given up hope and were starting to think that this would be our grave but when the shooting stopped we knew someone would try to rescue us."

"We gotta get rid of this debris. How's everyone doing? Is everyone able to walk?"

The man looked back for a second to assess the damage.

"Everyone's got cuts and bruises but some are in really bad shape. Three of those… _things_ beamed in here and started tearing up the place. I've seen terrible things happen in my life but nothing compared to this. See that injured woman over there?" He gestured at the human woman who moaned softly in pain. "She just saw her husband and child being split in two by one of those monstrous things."

"I know it's terrible but we gotta be fast," Rilas broke the man off. "We don't know how long this place's gonna last. Nunchaku?"

The human did a few frightened steps back when the colossal Mantrin appeared before him, only to assure himself he wasn't dangerous and here to offer his help. Keeping some distance he let the creature do his thing. Nunchaku grabbed the twisted girders and used his incredible strength to pull away the debris with a loud roar. Kero was impressed with the Ryrjhii's work. He knew his species was extremely strong but this huge chunk of muscle was rather exceptional. After Nunchaku had made room for everyone to enter he stepped aside to let the others into the dimly lit room. Kiké immediately made her way to the survivors, trying not to look at the dead and mutilated bodies from several different species all over the place and not to think about the blood that stuck to her feet. She signaled the others to guide the ones capable of walking to safety and sunk on her knees near those who couldn't. Using the tissue regenerator she began treating their injuries.

"Rescue ops. this is the Captain speaking," Kero said to his wristcom.

"Go ahead, sir."

"I need two stretchers here right away."

"We have your location, sir. They'll be there in a minute. And Captain? Captain Korso wanted to inform you that they're making progress and that they've started beaming the more seriously injured to our infirmary."

"That's all right. The _Valkyrie _isn't equipped to treat large numbers of wounded. Keep me informed. Kero out."

Meanwhile Stith did her best to assist Kiké, using the second tissue regenerator to treat the human woman while the rest of the group took care of the others. The human officer just kept talking to the woman to prevent her from going into shock or passing out. She had lost her husband and child in front of her eyes in a terrible way and his talking was what kept her. She had lost a lot of blood from a deep wound in her belly Stith was currently treating to the best of her abilities. Kiké tried to help the injured Mantrin. He was slipping into a delirious state because of the enormous blood loss from a wound in his stomach and he had nearly lost the lower segment of his left leg. It was connected to the rest of his body by a small piece of tissue and was certainly a lost cause. If he survived his injuries, he would never be able to walk normally again.

"Please don't die. Please don't die."

Kiké kept whispering these words while working as fast as she could. Kero noticed that the young Mantrinesse was trying to put on a brave front but he knew she was having difficulty. She tried to let her patient sit right up because he choked in his own blood that dripped from his beak. After what felt like an eternity to her, the stretchers arrived and the rescue workers took the Mantrin off her hands. She kept staring at the delirious member of her own species until he disappeared around the corner, praying in herself to Kirliya that he would make it out of this alive. The woman Stith had treated also left the room on a stretcher. The officer finally let go of her hand. Kiké stood up, the knees of her pants soaked with the blood that had formed around the injured Mantrin. She wiped off her hands on her already dirty uniform and put the equipment back in her medkit.

"Are you all right?" Nunchaku asked, putting his large hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine," she said a little curter then she actually wanted it to. She shook his hand off her shoulder. He however reacted by gently wiping off a tear that had formed in the corner of her left eye. "It's nothing," she bit before he could say more.

Nunchaku shrugged and followed his Captain.

"Okay, back to the original plan."

"I doubt the elevators are working so we have to use the maintenance shafts," Stith said, turning attention to her scanner.

"Maybe you can help me locate Commander James," the human officer said. "My name's Charles by the way. Charles McKenzie, quartermaster."

They noticed the man only because he had spoken. Apparently he wasn't ready to leave with his people yet. Stith recognized his name though.

"So you're the guy. I'm Stith. We never met but I talked to you briefly when I first got here."

"I remember. But we've got more important things to do."

"Okay, if you could give us a direction?"

"Last thing I heard, she was trying to get everyone off the command deck. She would meet me at the docking ports but soon after that the com blew out and we lost contact. I tried to save as many people as possible but the debris trapped us in here. The most likely place to find her is somewhere between levels twenty-five and twenty-three."

"If she's still alive," Rilas added.

"Oh, she's a tough one."

McKenzie sounded quite sure of himself.

"Did you have any further contact with her?" Kero asked.

"No, but I just know she's still alive."

"And the only way to get there is through the maintenance shafts?" Stith asked uncomfortably.

The human looked at them for a second.

"Yeah, I see why that's gonna be a problem." He pointed at the three larger Mantrins. "The shafts are not extremely narrow but you three won't be able to squeeze yourselves into a space this big."

As Kero thought of a solution his wristcom chimed again.

"Korso to Captain Kero."

"Kero here."

"The _Highlander_ just entered the system. Looks like they picked up the signal from the Indarians. Jason requested help from the starbase and a Federation starship will be here soon to take the survivors aboard and bring them to New Earth. From there they'll be able to return to their homeworlds. In the meantime they're standing by to assist us with transporters and another sickbay. Now it'll be much easier to get everyone off this station."

"Okay great. We're gonna look for the station's Commander. We just heard there's a big chance she's still alive."

"All right, good luck. Korso out."

After that he contacted Jason.

"Kero to Captain Pierce."

"I'm here. I heard what happened. Terrible."

"It sure is," he replied with a sigh. "I'm gonna beam personnel aboard to search every deck. Hold on. I've got something for you." A small metal case materialized on the deck in front of him. "Emergency transport beacons. Clip one of 'em on any remaining survivors you might find and we'll beam them out of there right away. But don't use in case of severe injury or the transport sequence might kill them."

Kero opened the case and found five of the tiny beacons.

"Thanks Jason."

"My pleasure. Let's get this done. _Highlander_ out."

_**Authors note: Music track 18 (Horrors of War – (Earth 2160 Soundtrack – Ambient 01))**_

Kero's group including McKenzie continued on their previous heading, trying to drive away the darkness of the corridors with their flashlights. The only sounds they had for company were their own footsteps, enhanced by the echoes created by the metal bulkheads and the other rather unnerving sounds they heard earlier. On their way to the nearest shaft they could use to go up they ran into more disabled spinner drones, some of them covered with the blood and intestines of their victims. Kiké was not the only one having trouble with the horrifying sights. It was enough to drive the heartbeat and respiration of the entire group up to high levels. Both the young Mantrin's hearts skipped a few beats when her foot hit something fleshy. The corridor became wider when they reached an intersection which provided access to the maintenance shafts through a wall hatch. She had wandered off a little to the left and had trouble not to scream at what she saw when she pointed her flashlight down. Her foot had hit the teared up remains of a human body; one of the drones still stuck in the ribcage. The face was twisted in a silent scream and it was enough to make her stumble a few steps back. She fell with her back against the bulkhead on the opposite side in horror, her hearts beating in her throat.

"Kiké!" Rilas yelled. The group halted on his yell and turned back to see what happened. She stood against the bulkhead, panting in fear, tears rolling over her cheeks. Mantrins couldn't be scared easily but when the others noticed the body their stomachs twisted too. Rilas grabbed the young Fjetahna girl by her shoulders and withdrew the mutilated corpse from her sight. "Kiké, are you all right?"

She cried softly and didn't reply. He gently pulled her against his chest.

"Shhh, don't look. It's gone."

"When we left the ship, I thought of this as just another mission," she sobbed.

"I know it's horrible but we have to get going. Just don't look at it."

"Easier said than done sir," she replied softly.

"Come, you and Stith are our only hope in finding Commander James. You think you can manage or shall we call for someone else?"

"No, I'm a big girl. I can do this."

She gently pushed him away and wiped off the tears. The group had reached the intersection. Fortunately there were no bodies lying here. McKenzie pulled out a fairly large metal hatch and placed it on the floor next to the opening. The hatch provided access to a large ladder reaching up and down across the entire station. He stuck his head through the hole and checked.

"The way up is free from obstructions. You should be able to reach all the upper levels from this shaft."

"Thanks." Stith turned her attention to Kiké, who seemed to have calmed down a bit. "You can do this?"

"Yes ma'am."

Her voice was soft and had a bit of hesitation in it but Stith decided to go through with it nonetheless.

"Let's go then." As she prepared to lead the way, Kero handed her the case with the transport beacons which she clipped on the belt around her waist. Sinking on her knees she entered the shaft head first. Fortunately they didn't have to go down since that route was obstructed by collapsed bulkheads and broken conduits. The only light down there were sparks which frequently lit the shaft with a shimmering light. She grabbed the cold metal rungs with her strong clawed hands and tested their strength by pulling them first. "Looks fine to me!" She pulled herself up to provide room for the rest of her body inside the tubular construction, carefully placing her large foot on one of the rungs, her huge triple jointed legs barely having enough room to move. The rung didn't give any signs that it couldn't support her weight so she placed her other foot on another and climbed a few rungs up. "It's safe Kiké. You can come now. Just don't look down."

As she looked down she saw Kiké trying to follow the same procedure.

"Don't worry Lieutenant. I'm not afraid of heights."

She tried to reassure herself more than Stith.

"We'll be going now, Captain!" Stith yelled down.

"Okay, we'll be on our way too!" Kero's voice echoed through the shaft. "Contact me when there's trouble and we'll try to get you two outta there. Good luck. Let's go people!"

That was the last thing she heard from him as the sound of the group's footsteps removed itself from the hatch. Kiké was also fully inside the shaft and waited for Stith to climb up. Stith attached her scanner to the wrist of her left arm. That way she could resume her short-range scans for life forms while her right arm with the flashlight pointed up. This way they had a greater chance of locating Commander James. She started climbing, slowly at first but picking up more speed as they gained height.

"How're you holding up Ensign?" she asked without looking down.

"Right behind you ma'am."

Because she was smaller Kiké had less trouble climbing the ladder and she was right underneath her. A couple of rungs later her scanner chimed.

"Picking up a life sign on the twenty-third deck. Correction, four life forms. Let's go!" At that moment an acoustic alarm sounded through the entire station. Normally it would be accompanied by a computer voice notifying everyone about the nature of the danger but since almost everything was offline or destroyed it was impossible to determine. "That can't be good."

She flattened an ear. It didn't take long for Kero to contact her.

"Stith, there's been a problem."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

"Korso and his team have rescued all the survivors from the lower levels so they're pulling out. The cooling system of the station's primary fusion reactor has suffered a failure. She's gonna blow in approximately twenty minutes. I want you and everybody else out of there in fifteen."

"Copy that, sir." she replied. _What a surprise. It's always the main reactor._ It could be coincidence but exactly the same thing happened aboard the _Myrana_. "I've located more survivors on level twenty-three. Gimme a few minutes to check their situation. Maybe we can beam 'em outta there."

"We've found a couple more too. They're the last ones here and we're evacuating. I'll keep the ship docked as long as possible just in case."

"Got it, Captain."

"Kero out."

"Change of plans Ensign. We're gonna do everything twice as fast."

"I can keep up."

They both knew it was serious. After climbing another two dozen rungs Stith had reached the hatch that provided access to the level where her scanner had picked up the bio signs. Letting go of the ladder with one arm she tried the hatch on the opposite side. It was dent and that was likely the reason why she couldn't get it to open.

"C'mon!" she hissed. She snorted derisively. "Darn it!" The alarm forced her to use more drastic measures. Climbing up the ladder a few rungs higher she looked down. "Better take a slight distance, Ensign. I don't know how this is gonna unfold." Kiké stepped down a few rungs lower and protected her head with one muscular arm against possible injury. Her superior lifted her huge right foot from the ladder and retracted her leg, preparing for a massive kick. Her foot hit the hatch with so much force that the metal completely buckled under her strength and popped out of the wall like a cork from a fresh bottle of champagne. It slammed against the bulkhead on the opposite side. The clang of metal on metal echoed through the corridor. Nothing could withstand the kick of a Mantrin. Stith nodded and grunted in approval when she stepped into the corridor. She grabbed the smaller Mantrinesse's hand and pulled her out of the shaft. The alarm had stopped but a few functioning alert lights spread their pulsating red light across the bulkheads. "That way," Stith said, pointing in the direction her scanner indicated.

They started walking, urged by the alarm to move faster. Kiké checked her equipment. The tissue regenerators each had about seventy-five percent of their power supply left and she was gonna need them again. The little devices were meant to save lives while the mechanical beings that currently threatened their very existence were doing everything to make sure that not a single organic being survived their conquering. She tried not to look at the mutilated bodies, surrounded by pools of blood, the vicious little machines buried in the flesh, as they walked past. Splatters of blood covered every inch of the bulkhead and the deck and it was a mystery to both of them why these Machines used such horrible weapons in their war. As she looked at it from the corner of her eye, she imagined them reactivating on their own to finish what they started, praying it wouldn't happen for real.

"Try not to look at it," Stith's voice penetrated the silence between them. Although it was downright repulsive it was also unavoidable as the corpses were lying around everywhere. But she was a Mantrin and Mantrins didn't admit to their fear so this time she screwed up her courage and followed Stith until they reached a section that served as a small command post for docking operations and general management on this level. It was a larger open area but collapsed bulkheads, fallen support beams and debris obstructed the place. Some sort of heavy gas had flooded the area and covered the ground up to their lower set of knees. Small fires burned everywhere and added their smoke to the gaseous substance. The two officers used their searchlights however to drive the darkness away. Stith's scanner was positive the life signs were coming from this area. "Anyone here?" she yelled.

"Over here."

The voice was barely audible above the hissing of steam and the eruptions of sparks from broken conduits. It came from the small office in the center of the dimly lit bay where there was still some light. Stith firmly stepped through the cloud, evading the corpses hidden in the fog that could cause her to trip and fall. Kiké followed exactly in her superior's footsteps until they reached the office, which was slightly above deck level so the smoke couldn't get in. The entrance was obstructed by debris which Stith quickly took care of by simply tossing it away. Inside they found four officers, two men and two women. One of them was Commander James. The human woman with the long red hair and deep green eyes recognized her as she moved closer and sunk on her knees to check her injuries. Kiké immediately opened her medkit to begin treating their wounds which was easier said than done. One of the men had a broken leg and cuts and bruises over his entire body but he was currently trying to keep his fellow officers from losing consciousness. The woman had similar injuries but the other man she treated first had a spinner drone stuck in his shoulder. He was, miraculously enough, still alive though in great pain. Breathing was extremely painful for him and even the slightest move practically impossible as the blades would cut deeper into his flesh. Stith looked into the deep green eyes of Kyra James and asked Kiké for the second regenerator.

"It's you," she said weakly. "Somehow I knew I'd see you again."

"Yeah, but probably not under these circumstances," Stith replied, performing a quick scan of her body. _Pierced lung, four broken ribs, a broken leg and a concussion._

The pierced lung however was a lot worse than she thought at first. The woman's chest was pierced by shards of metal debris. If she didn't receive proper medical treatment soon, she would die. She had already lost a great deal of blood and a trickle of the red fluid flowed from the corner of her mouth. She smiled faintly though when she noticed the uniform.

"You've gone back into military service again," she whispered.

"Shhh, don't talk. Keep up your strength."

She ripped open the remains of Kyra's uniform and repaired the damaged tissue as well as she could, afraid she was too late to save her. Right now there was nothing she could do about the internal damage.

"Lieutenant, if I pull this thing out of him here, he'll die. He needs proper medical attention. That thing makes things worse the longer it stays in his body."

"The transport sequence might kill them," Stith though out loud. "But moving them will kill them too and it's too late to get stretchers here."

Kyra called for her attention by softly whispering. Talking cost her the greatest effort.

"The reactor's gonna blow. Save yourselves while you still can. I'm gonna die anyway."

"No, we're gonna get you out of here."

She unclipped the case containing the transport beacons.

"But ma'am, that'll kill them," Kiké objected.

"Maybe, but they still have a chance. They'll die anyway if they remain here."

"True," she replied with a nod.

She opened the case but hesitated.

"There're only five beacons."

It was silent for a moment but Stith's brain worked at light speed. Maybe Jason could get a manual lock on her bio sign while the other five used the beacons.

"Stith to Kero."

"Lieutenant, you've got seven minutes left, then I want you outta there."

"Captain, can you ask Jason to get a transporter lock on us?"

"Hold on." It was silent for a moment. "Negative Lieutenant. Radiation from the reactor is disrupting the lock and you're too deep inside."

"What if I get closer to the outer hull?"

"It might work but there's no guarantee. Your choice."

Stith gave it some thought. She was not going to choose between them, that was for sure. If someone was going to die then she was the logical choice. She was the ranking officer. Putting her hopes on the fact that the _Highlander_ could get a transporter lock if she got close enough to the outer hull she heaved a sigh and turned her attention to Kiké.

"Ensign, place the beacons on the wounded and take one yourself."

"But ma'am, you could get killed."

"That's a risk I'll to take."

"If you're not going, I'm not going."

"This is not open for debate, Ensign!" Stith said harshly.

Kiké turned her eyes down and her ears lowered.

"Yes ma'am," she replied softly, though it was clear she didn't agree with her decision.

Stith tossed her the case. The young girl carefully attached the beacons to the clothes of the wounded. One by one they were beamed to the_ Highlander_, the less injured first.

"This is gonna hurt but at least you'll have a chance of survival."

She briefly grabbed Kyra's hand. She gratefully stared into her copper-colored eyes.

"Make haste," she whispered.

"I will," she promised.

Kiké attached the three remaining beacons to the Commander, her officer and eventually herself. The young officer gave Stith one last worried look before she materialized with the remaining survivors and left her alone.

Kiké rematerialized with the two remaining victims on a special emergency medical transporter pad and found herself in the middle of the overcrowded sickbay of the USS _Highlander_. Doctors swiftly moved to take care of the new wounded she had brought in.

"I can help," she yelled over the noise.

Although the _Highlander_'s infirmary took up nearly a quarter of an entire deck it wasn't designed to treat this many patients. Emergency bio beds had been erected everywhere and everyone with some medical knowledge had been called to aid. She began assisting a human doctor in helping the man with the drone stuck in his shoulder. She wasn't sterile in the least with blood on her clothes, in her hair and on virtually every inch of her body but nobody seemed to care about it. Not even when her feet left a trail of blood leading from the transporter pad to her current position. Never in her life she had wanted to take a shower so badly to wash all the filth and hopefully some of the misery she felt off of her.

Stith however was busy saving her own life, running through the dimly lit corridors with her hearts pounding in her ears and Kero's voice urging her to hurry. The alarm sounded again, indicating the reactor was reaching critical. Signs of this were the explosions she heard coming from the lower decks and conduits exploding all around her.

"Stith, where are you?" Kero yelled, his voice full of concern.

"I'm heading for the docking tubes. That way Jason'll have a better chance getting a transporter lock," she panted. "Don't worry, sir. I have no intention of dy-"

A power conduit exploded with a deafening bang behind the bulkhead on her right. The shockwave knocked her down but she managed to break her fall with her arm. An intense pain shot through her right leg and the right side of her body as the fire scorched her skin and pieces of metal cut in her flesh. She roared and slammed her fist on the deck plating. Clenching her teeth she growled in a wild mixture of frustration, anger and pain.

"Lieutenant!" her wristcom yelled. "Stith! Stith!"

It was the voice of her Captain and beloved one and it gave her the strength to pull her legs from under the fallen rubble and get back on her feet again.

"I'm here and I'm not dead!" she yelled, letting herself fall with her back against the wall, panting. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried for a moment to catch her breath. _Probably got one or two minutes left._ A victim of her own battered body, she limped around the corner to the docking tubes. "Almost there," she panted, trying to keep herself from losing consciousness.

"Lieutenant."

Kero's voice had made place for Pierce's.

"A little closer…" Her voice was now almost a whisper. She had made it to the entrance of one of the docking tubes and stumbled further until she had reached the far end, as far away from the station's main structure as possible. With no strength left in her body she let herself fall down against the wall of the tube. She slid down to the deck plating, gasping for air, trying to catch her breath. Gathering all the strength she still had left in her arm she brought her wristcom to her muzzle. "Well, I'm here Jason. Now'd be a good time."

The few still functioning lights flickered and blew out as explosions tore the station apart. The last thing she heard when her molecules began to disassemble was the sound of explosions followed by rapid decompression just before her ears popped.


	26. Chapter 24 The Akrennian Way

**The Akrennian Way**

* * *

The Akrennian battlecruiser _Tsun'rhaa_ dropped out of warp at the edge of the Huk'lath system. Her Captain commanded the bridge in person, sitting in her chair with a mixed look on her predator-like face. She had some unfinished business to attend to and it seemed as if her business partner required some encouragement. It was a nice opportunity for the newest member of her crew to show her what he was worth.

"Trynan, set course for the fifth planet and take us into standard orbit."

"Yes Captain." Her sharp voice shook her helmsman awake from his daydream. With the ship on auto-pilot there wasn't much he could do until they arrived at their destination which was now. Ayko's lips curled into an evil sharp-toothed grin as their target grew bigger on the main viewer. Huk'lath V was a cold and desolate planet in a system on the edge of Akrennian-controlled space on the other side of the border. There were no seasons and the planet was always covered under a thick layer of ice and snow. Temperatures were always in the sub-zero range and from space the ice-world looked a like a grubby white marble, most of the surface hidden from view by thick cloud formations. The planet didn't contain any valuable resources and the only thing worth noticing was the fact that it was the biggest breeding ground of criminal activity in the entire sector. If you're looking for a place to safely conduct illegal activities, this was definitely on the top of the list. The Akrennian Empire didn't even bother to put an end to this crime haven. Most of the good stuff usually came from places like this and at much lower prices. They just thought of it as good business; nothing wrong with that. "Entering standard orbit, ma'am."

"Preed, have the landing deck prepare a shuttle."

"Right away, Captain," he obeyed, sending a request directly to the shuttle bay via his console.

Ayko stood up, briefly making eye contact with him and her First Officer before she walked toward the turbolift.

"Keep the ship in orbit. I have some personal business to attend to. Kryfar! Preed! You two are with me." She left the bridge without looking back if her officers followed her. She simply expected them to do so. As he stood up and followed his new Captain off the bridge, he noticed that the bridge crew traced him off the Tsun'rhaa's command center from the corners of their eyes. One of them even openly stared at him with an ear flattened but he didn't pay attention to it. In fact he couldn't blame them because he was just as surprised as they were about Ayko choosing him to accompany her down to the planet. It was likely to assume he had to do something to prove himself worthy enough to call himself a member of her crew. He followed his Captain, or actually her First Officer he now knew as Kryfar. Kryfar was taller than he was and much more muscular and his skin had an army green color that tended more toward a darker shade on his back. His ears were equally sized to his and he had a single short nasal horn on the tip of his snout. He was at least partially the same race as he was. "Get me my coat," Ayko said, as they joined her in the turbolift.

Because every member of the crew carried a knife wherever they went Preed decided to do the same. For a moment, as they walked around the last corner toward the shuttle deck he placed his hand on the sheath on his left to feel the comforting contours of the blade. The decorated weapon was a symbol of status in Akrennian society and each one was unique and handmade by the bearer. It had taken Preed a long time to come up with a unique design that distinguished itself from others and find the desired materials. The dual-bladed design with the split tips was as elegant as it was deadly and the hand-crafted hilt inlaid with the crest of his former clan finished it perfectly. Korso hadn't let him wear it aboard the _Valkyrie_, but this was an Akrennian ship of war. It was a standard part of the Militia uniform and now he could wear it with him again and with pride. It was a personal achievement; his own work, something to be proud of. Kryfar had left them for a brief moment to get his Captain's coat and during that time Ayko hadn't spoken a word. Just before they reached their destination he joined them again and followed his Captain to a locker room next to the shuttle bay where special clothing and equipment for all different types of away missions were stored.

"Put on one of those thermo suits." It was both advice and an order. She pulled one over her uniform herself. "It's kinda cold down there. These things protect the body against temperatures as low as thirty degrees below zero." Both Preed and Kryfar did as she said without saying a word. When they were done Kryfar held up a long black leather coat which his Captain put on as further protection against the cold. "Weapons?"

"Check."

"Let's go!"

Ayko lead the way to one of the shuttles parked on the landing deck. Two engineers were running a last systems check before launch.

"You two, get out!"

"As you wish, Captain. We were just finished."

They both backed off immediately as she entered the ship.

"You better be certain!"

"_I've been away a long time,"_ Preed thought as he studied the shuttle.

It was a new design, much sleeker and definitely faster, more agile and more responsive than the old FT-66 in which he learned to fly. Ayko took the pilot's seat and closed the hatch by the press of a button. Kryfar took the seat next to her and Preed took one of the two remaining backseats. His Captain fired up the propulsion systems and hit the thrusters which instantly lifted the small craft off the deck. The shuttle bay door opened after the deck had been decompressed and she quickly steered the ship clear of the shuttle bay. Hitting the gas for a quick burst of speed from the powerful ion engines she brought it into a descending trajectory, leaving the _Tsun'rhaa_ behind in orbit. In the meantime she filled in her officers while preparing the shuttle for sub-orbital flight.

"We're going to meet with one of my business associates. He's been active on this planet for a long time and I've made quite a few juicy deals with him." She snorted derisively. "However the money he owes me from our last business transaction hasn't arrived on my account yet and it's already been eight days since I supplied him the merchandise."

"What kind of merchandise?" Kryfar wanted to know.

"That doesn't concern ya!" Ayko bit back. "But I don't like to be kept waiting and I thought that since we happen to be in the neighborhood, we pay him a little visit just to make sure he doesn't forget. Maybe he'll speed things up a bit."

While Ayko took the shuttle down into the atmosphere of the icy planet, Preed began to ponder. He had started a new life aboard a new ship among his own kind and yet something didn't feel right. Ayko was a dangerous woman to deal with and he, or better said, her business associate was about to find out how dangerous she actually could be if things didn't go her way. Meanwhile the shuttle had almost reached the desired destination of its pilot and the little ship trembled as she steered it straight into the strong winds that blew over high mountain ridges and through deep ravines. Thick snowflakes blew against the windshield, limiting the sight so she had to rely on sensors for navigation. His Captain landed the shuttle on a small windy landing platform between a few other ships next to some kind of establishment embedded in the mountain to accommodate the pilots.

"The Huk'la live in underground cities to take advantage of geothermal energy and the heat of the planet's core," Ayko told them while she powered down the shuttle's systems. "Since nothing grows on the barren surface of this worthless rock the things they eat for food also live there. They are actually quite trustworthy but not exactly smart, not to mention practically blind." All three checked their thermal insulation suits and weapons before venturing outside the warm shuttle. "The landing deck is regularly treated with a corrosive compound to prevent ships from freezing to the surface. Your boots should provide adequate protection but don't be stupid enough to fall cause it will be a nasty experience."

The moment she opened the hatch the most piercing wind Preed had ever felt bit through his entire body till the bone. He had been on cold worlds before but nothing compared to this. When they were outside Ayko sealed off the shuttle and began to walk to the warm establishment, her long black leather coat fluttering in the stormy wind. It was also an entrance to one of the Huk'la's underground cities. Preed had never felt something so colt. Being naturally attracted to the warmth, Akrennians sincerely disliked this type of weather. There wasn't a single cold zone on their hot desert-like homeworld so none of them were really used to it. Maybe Ayko was good at pretending. The strong treacherous wind that blew over these mountain ridges made it even more difficult and was enough to blow an inattentive visitor over the edge of the landing platform into the deep chasms surrounding the mountain top. The wind blew the icy snow into his nose and mouth which he found extremely discomforting. The air was pretty thin and difficult to breathe and when he looked up the sky was a big mass of dark turbulent clouds. The place in front of them was one of the few safe havens on this world. Warm-colored light beamed into the cold through the windows of what was obviously some kind of bar and Preed noticed through squinted eyes that a lot of different species shared the only warm place within hundreds of miles from this location.

Very few people noticed the newcomers when they entered the bar that looked small from the outside but was actually quite a few times larger than expected. The big dimly lit place was stuffed with tables and chairs occupied by various species. Some of them were busy making trades, other were clearly drunk and some were sleeping it off, snoring on the table with a half-filled glass still in one hand. Most of the customers were from other species. A few Huk'la, mole-like creatures with a thick coat of brown fur to keep them warm and large claws made for digging sat between them but were clearly a minority. In contrast to the Earth animal, the Huk'la had a larger, thick flat tail which was actually quite muscular. The snout was much shorter but did have the characteristic whiskers and smaller pink nose. The fur in their faces however was much fuzzier than from their animal counterpart. A smaller, drunk and rather odd example of her own race approached Ayko when she entered and was about to make one of the biggest mistakes in his entire life.

"Well hi there gorgeous," the Akrennian hiccupped, the stench of alcohol on his breath blowing in her face. "Want me to buy you a drink? Maybe we can do something nice together."

He was now standing against her and had stuck out his hand to touch her face. But before he could make contact, Ayko quickly grabbed the arm, grabbed his throat with her other hand and slammed him against the wall next to her. Her strength was more than enough to lift him off the ground.

"Touch me and you won't live to tell somebody how nice I actually was," she whispered viciously into his ear.

He immediately fled away when she released him by dropping him on the floor. Nobody seemed to pay attention to what she just did.

"Who or what are we looking for, Captain?" Kryfar asked with a clear undertone of annoyance in his voice while looking around the place.

The mixture of alcohol and the body odors of a dozen different species entering his nostrils disgusted him.

"His name's Tt'ri and he's a Huk'la but since those furballs all look the same I always have trouble recognizing him, especially when he's on the move. Huk'la distinguish each other by smell." She scanned the entire place but quickly found what she was looking for. "But I think I already found him." Her eyes were locked on a large -though smaller than the average Akrennian- Huk'la sitting in the corner of the bar. He didn't appear to be expecting someone but he was clearly on the lookout which was a wise thing to do on a planet like this one. There was fright in his little black eyes when he noticed the approaching Akrennians. Ayko firmly stepped through the bar, evading drunk customers on her way to her former associate. The mole-like creature jumped up from his chair and tried to escape but the way out was cut off by Ayko, Kryfar and Preed. They had him pinned down in the corner. "Going somewhere?" Ayko asked with an evil smirk on her face. The alien's respiration rose to a threatening level and his small pink nose went up and down so fast that Preed could barely follow. His mouth dropped open in fear, revealing sharp yellowish incisors. Ayko stepped up to the smaller creature and forced him back on his chair. She and her officers took the three remaining seats around the round table. "So, how're we doing today Tt'ri?" Ayko asked with a fake friendly voice.

She smirked, baring her sharp and vicious looking fangs. The frightened alien could barely speak.

"I—I'm-"

"Now, now, there's no reason to be _so_ afraid of me," Ayko continued on the same tone. "Unless you were trying to cut me out."

"I- I didn't think-"

"That I would notice?" Ayko finished his unspoken sentence. She made a sound of disapproval with her tongue. "That's not very nice, now is it?"

"I didn't mean to-"

"It's all right, it's all right."

She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. He shivered under her touch. A sharp and unpleasant smell entered their nostrils indicating the Huk'la had let something go in his fear.

"I'm sorry!" he cried, falling on the table, sobbing in his arms. "It's one of my partners. He owes me money but hasn't paid me yet. You have to believe me." There wasn't the slightest bit of compassion on Ayko's face. In fact this, the words of this pathetic creature only angered her. He looked up at her emotionless face, the tears rolling over his brown furred cheeks. "If I give you your money, I have nothing left to care for my wife and children. Please give me two more days then you'll have it, I promise."

"Hmmm." She tapped with a finger on her lips and looked up at the ceiling, pretending she was thinking it over, though she had already made up her mind. Her small supply of patience was wearing thin. She was tired of this pitiful thing that could only come up with more excuses. Maybe it was time for a different approach. "But I need my ten thousand credits now."

"But-"

In the blink of an eye she towered above him, grabbed the unfortunate Huk'la by the thick brown fur on his chest and battered him against the nearest wall. He was so scared he hung weakly in the grip of her strong hands.

"Listen to me you stupid furball! I don't give a damn about you or your family! I want my money and I want it now!"

"I can't," he cried, the tears trickling over his furry cheeks.

Ayko looked back at Kryfar and Preed and flashed them a smirk. "Okay guys, let's take our friend here outside for a little walk. Maybe that will change his mind."

The eye white appeared around the Huk'la's small black eyes when Kryfar and Preed grabbed him under his arms. A few customers shot a glance but no one cared or had the courage or the strength to do something.

Outside they tossed the mole-like alien into the cold snow. Kryfar smirked and cracked his knuckles but Ayko had different ideas. _Let's see if my new officer can follow orders._

"Okay Preed, show him how we do things the Akrennian way," she yelled over the noise of the piercing wind.

She folded her arms over her chest, the expression on her face as cold as the air around them. _Me?_ The look on her face prevented him from asking or hesitating too long. He had no desire to hurt the Huk'la. In contrast to his Captain he still had some sense of understanding for Tt'ri's situation only because he had been in a very similar one before once. That was nasty. However the possible things Ayko could and would do to Tt'ri _and_ him if he refused quickly forced him to make a decision for his own good. He wasn't particularly bound to find out how Ayko handled insubordination. Partially in fear for his own life he stepped toward Huk'la and gave him the first kick in his ribs.

"Nooo!" he screamed. "Please! Have mercy!"

"Do I get my money?" Ayko yelled over the wind with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"I told you, you'll get it but I can't give it to you now!" Tt'ri cried.

"Again," she said relentlessly.

Preed did as he was instructed and slammed his fist in the alien's face, and again and again. The Huk'la coughed up blood that drew red patterns in the snow. He didn't resist nor tried to fight back. He was simply too scared to take action. With his bloodied fist ready to continue the pain Preed looked up at his Captain, somewhere hoping she would order him to stop. Instead she nodded toward the landing deck. _Is she serious?_ Apparently she was.

"Eh, Captain?"

"Yes?" she replied harshly.

"Never mind."

"Kryfar!" she snarled.

Kryfar barely required his help in dragging the alien to the landing deck. It was up to Preed however to handle the rest. He roughly grabbed the fur on the back of Tt'ri's head and pressed the side of his face against the landing platform. He screamed and floundered when the acid bit away the right side of his face. Although the corrosive compound wasn't very strong it was enough to cause extreme pain when in contact with the skin.

"Stop! _Stop!_ I'll give it to you but please stop!"

Ayko nodded and her First Officer pulled him away from the landing platform and tossed him on his back, leaving him crying in the snow. The acid had eaten away the fur on his right cheek leaving behind a mark of raw burned flesh.

"Don't just stand there! Get him back on his feet!" Ayko shouted.

Her officers dragged the injured Huk'la back to the warmth of the bar. Back inside Ayko slammed her fist on the bar and demanded a dermal regenerator from the Huk'la barkeeper. After Tt'ri had transferred the correct amount of credits to her account using one of the terminals in the back she ordered Preed to treat his wounds. Nobody paid actual attention to what they had just done, likely because things like this happened here on a regular basis judging by the collection of scars most of the customers wore on various parts of their bodies. The only thing still showing after he was done was a bare spot, showing the light brownish color of the Huk'la's skin.

"You've taken almost everything I had left," he sobbed. "Now I'll never be able to put a decent meal on the table for my wife and children."

"You know, I think I missed the part where that's my problem." She had ordered drinks for all four of them and nipped from her glass of Akrennian ale. The credits he just transferred were rightfully hers, there was no denying it. To show that she wasn't entirely the most cold-hearted example of her race she just said: "Hey, I have to make a living for myself too. Sometimes it requires acting on your part." She snorted. "Maybe you should do what I did and ask your partner what he did to you money. I mean, what kind of a partner is that?"

"He's my brother," Tt'ri replied, wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"Ah, all the more reason to step up to him and tell him you want what's rightfully yours," she scoffed, emptying her glass and slamming it back on the table. "Well, if we have nothing further to discuss. It was a pleasure. I look forward to doing business with you again."

She put her hand on his furry shoulder and squeezed softly. Everything on the Huk'la's face resisted to that idea. The fact that he would see the fearsome Akrennian woman again someday made him shiver. He didn't reply at all but kept staring at his glass that contained some kind of pink liquid. Ayko and her companions left Tt'ri alone with his misery and left the bar, heading back to the shuttle through the extreme cold and the strong icy wind saturated with snow. Back inside the small ship Ayko immediately fired up all systems and brought the air inside to a nice and warm temperature just like her species preferred it. Firing the thrusters to lift the shuttle off the platform she set a course back to the ship in orbit before firing the main engines. The craft turned into the plotted direction and blasted off into the turbulent sky toward the quietness and darkness of space.

They quickly left the frozen world behind them and as the shuttle caught up with the _Tsun'rhaa_ Preed found himself lost in his thoughts again on one of the backseats of the shuttle. He was certain. His new Captain, the woman he fell in love with was indeed a very dangerous individual. Her way of handling things did not exclude torture or murder and she even let others do it for her. In his opinion it was unnecessary to beat the Huk'la up like that and even more unnecessary to bring her officers with her. She was very well capable of handling things like this herself. She simply used them to do her dirty work. The fist he used to beat up the Huk'la was still a bit sore and he noticed that some of Tt'ri's blood stuck to his fingers. He quickly wiped it off on the pants of the thermal suit he was still wearing and loathed. Not because he thought of the species as filthy but because he didn't want any more blood like that on his hands. Admitted, he had also had walked around with the thought of killing the people who went through for friends for money in the past and they still hated him for it. They wouldn't forgive him and he couldn't blame them. They had all the reason to. But that was the old Preed. The old Preed wouldn't have hesitated when asked to perform an act like this. That person had to go. He wanted to start a new life aboard this new ship and let go of all the mistakes he made in the past. But things like this made it more difficult. He was still an Akrennian however. First he needed to ensure his own safety. Worried about the direction this new life had taken he remained quiet for the rest of the trip back.

Back aboard the _Tsun'rhaa_ Ayko declared her two officers off duty for the rest of the day. After he got himself out of the thermal suit, Preed left the shuttle deck and headed back to his quarters. It was slightly smaller than his quarters aboard the _Valkyrie_ but aboard Ayko's ship he was merely aLieutenant. He had a long way to go in becoming Ayko's First, a position that was already taken. However that person was not far behind, something he hadn't noticed yet until he was grabbed by his arm and battered against the bulkhead. His head slammed against the wall and he was slightly stunned for a moment. When his vision returned he looked into the army green face of Kryfar, twisted into a malicious stare.

"Look what we have here. It's the Captain's new toy," Kryfar said with so much contempt in his voice that Preed could have sworn he was talking about something disgusting under the soles of his boots. Kryfar just kept staring at him for a moment, the stench of his breath hitting him in the face like a brick wall. His grip was strong and it started to hurt but Preed knew better than to show any weakness. "Lost your tongue?" Kryfar snarled.

"Not at all."

"I don't know what she sees in you. Maybe it's just because you managed to spark the little pity that's still somewhere inside of her but I honestly don't see it. I can see right through your outer shell and I see a 'failure'." Preed didn't respond to the insults. He was at a disadvantage within his current rank and Kryfar was larger and much stronger than he was and already had the upper hand. The larger Akrennian smirked. "Yeah, that's what you are, a 'failure' and I'm not going to waste any more time on you but let's make this clear. Give me one good reason, make the slightest mistake and I will not hesitate to slip a knife between your ribs. I take it that's clear, isn't it?"

Before releasing him he lifted his knee and delivered a vicious blow to Preed's stomach. He legs suddenly felt weak and he dropped to the deck plating, growling in pain. Kryfar walked on without looking back.

"Are you afraid?" Preed brought out between two quick breaths, trying to get back on his feet using the metal bulkhead as support.

Kryfar halted and turned around to face him again.

"What did you say?"

"Are you afraid that she might have chosen a 'failure' above you?" Kryfar balled his fists, his eyes narrowing to slits. His ears lowered to a horizontal position and he growled softly. "Because I notice that each time you mention her, your pupils become a little-"

"Shut up!" Kryfar shouted. "This is your final warning before-"

"Is that a trace of jealousy in your voice?" Preed said calmly, unfazed by the threat.

"Enough! You've done it! You're gonna die here and now!"

He pulled his knife and wanted to step up to Preed but was held at the last moment by the approaching voice of his Captain. He quickly slit it back into the sheath and acted like nothing happened.

"There you are, Kryfar," Ayko said rather cheerfully. She also noticed Preed, who had recovered in the meantime, when she turned around the corner. She frowned. "Good to see you two are getting along with each other."

"_If you only knew,"_ Preed thought, still biting his teeth against the pain.

The tone of his Captain's voice turned serious.

"Kryfar I want you in my ready room in ten minutes. Transmission from Command, highest priority."

"Aye Captain," he replied without losing Preed from his sight. Ayko looked at them both for a second, as if she could smell the tension in the air but decided not to pay attention to it. Instead she headed back in the direction she came from. Kryfar tossed a quick look over his shoulder and back at Preed. "You have no idea how lucky you are," he spat. "Get back to your quarters where you belong! I have to prepare for a meeting with the Captain."

He left but not without hitting Preed with his shoulder when he walked past. Preed took what little dignity he had left and did as he was ordered. Sealing the door of his quarters behind him he let himself slip to the deck with his back against the cold metal door. He was an officer aboard a dangerous ship with a dangerous crew in the middle of a dangerous conflict. _What have I let myself in for?_ He looked at the window at the stars flying past. Apparently they had already set a new course and from what he understood about new orders from Command it had something to do with the war. Although he didn't like to bathe, a hot shower would probably do wonders to the way he felt. _Yeah a hot shower and then some well-earned rest_. On guard for a murderous Kryfar trying to sneak into his quarters he got himself undressed and stepped under the stream of hot water, hoping it would wash off some of the discomfort he felt.


	27. Chapter 25 Casualties

**Casualties**

* * *

"Hey, we've got another wounded here! He's a Mantrin!"

"I believe it's a she."

"Don't just stand there; check up on her, she's wounded!"

Voices. All kinds of voices. But they sounded so distant as if she was under water or something. By the tone of them she could just barely tell they were human, and they were talking about a wounded Mantrin. _Gotta get up._ It was her first thought but her body somehow failed to respond. An exhausted feeling had taken hold of her and it prevented her body from following her brain's commands. _Gotta save them._ She had a strange sensation in her right shoulder which turned out to be the touch of a hand. Someone was gently helping her to regain consciousness. Then she realized where she was. The wounded Mantrin they were talking about was herself! Bright light stung in her eyes as she tried to open them. She wanted to say something but grumbled instead. Very slowly, giving her eyes time to adjust she tried again.

"Hey, are you all right?" She had seen and heard it right. A human man, wearing a teal-accented uniform of the Starfleet medical division tried to help her. She knew where she was. Sickbay! She made it back to the _Highlander_. "Are you all right?" the human asked again.

"Does it look like I'm all right?" she growled, shaking his hand off of her shoulder.

Everything hurt like hell. She had cuts and bruises on every inch of her body, burns on her right leg and right side of her waist and when she tried to move, something sharp and incredibly painful stung in her legs. A warm and sticky fluid trickled from her ears. Wiping over her cheek she looked at the blood that covered the back of her hand. The decompression had popped her ears and left a deaf feeling in both her auditory organs. Her body covered the emergency transporter pad in the _Highlander_'s sickbay. The medical deck was crowded with injured people from the colony. People they saved from the destruction she barely escaped herself. Cursing under her breath she rolled on her side, using an elbow to push herself up.

"Let me help you."

The medical officer reached her a relatively small helping hand. This time she didn't turn it down and grabbed it with her strong clawed hand, nearly dragging the man with her to the pad but with support of the transporter pad's back wall she managed to get herself on her feet. Her legs didn't feel as strong as they used to feel though and her head started pounding immediately. Grabbing her head with one hand, wincing as she touched one of her injured ears, she let the human doctor take her with him to an empty biobed.

"Headache," she grunted, feeling a bit dizzy as well.

Disoriented as she was by the decompression symptoms she stumbled through the crowded sickbay, trying not to hit other people with her large legs as she passed. She sat down on the biobed, on the side opposite to the bulkhead, her legs draped over the edges so that the doctor could treat her injuries and with one hand still supporting her aching head. Thumping her tail on the bed in annoyance she absent-mindedly grumbled something in her own language.

"Let me give you something for the pain first." Having filled a hypospray with the correct dosage he gently pressed the sub-dermal contacts against the soft skin of her muscular neck. From the moment he injected her she felt all the pain caused by her injuries beginning to dissipate, slowly fading away until she was left with only the deaf feeling in her ears and the damned dizziness. Instead of complaining she just let the medical officer do his job. She was a warrior and tough one. It certainly wasn't the first time she sustained injury. The doctor had called for a nurse to assist him and began treatment using advanced tissue regeneration technology after quickly scanning her body with a type of hand-held medical scanner. They healed her bruised ribs and treated the wounds and burns caused by the explosion. To finish the first part of the treatment he restored her hearing. "This is gonna hurt," he tried to warn her.

Stith however didn't know what he was talking about because she barely felt any pain right now. Taking a piece of equipment that looked like a small pair of pincers he used it to pull a piece of metal debris from her right middle leg. No amount of painkillers couldn't suppress that. Stith growled, bared her teeth and shot the man such a vicious look that he backed away, nearly trampling over his own feet in the process, his face struck by fear. The nurse was instantly gone as well. With flattened ears she growled pantingly. In the split second it happened, she didn't know what kept her from kicking him to the other side of the room. Possibly because he was only trying to help her. Her clawed foot had hit the deck with considerable force though and for a moment she was glad that was the only thing.

"Sorry," she grumbled, calming herself down. "Was a bit sudden."

"I-I understand." Approaching her again he was careful this time, making sure she was prepared. The remaining pieces were smaller so they hurt less. He actually wanted to keep her under observation for a few hours after healing the wounds just to be sure. His patient however would never agree to something like that. She stood up before he could finish, ready to leave. "Ma'am, it's for you own good. It's just-"

"You're gonna stop me?" she asked with a flattened ear.

Looking up at her, nearly straining his neck, the Starfleet doctor seized his attempts.

"Never mind."

Turning around he carried on assisting other doctors and medical personnel where possible. Stith snorted. Her uniform was a lost cause. She was wearing shreds and the first thing on her mind was getting back to the _Son of the Empire_ to wash all the filth off her body. She was about to leave sickbay but was held back by a familiar voice.

"Stith!"

It was Kiké. The wounds of the young Fjetahna girl had also been taken care of. The only remaining issue was the filth that stuck to their bodies and in her case in her hair. It suddenly came to her that she called a superior officer by her first name. Not that Stith minded. They were just glad to see each other. Looking down at her left foot she apologized.

"It's okay, Kiké. Shall we get back to the ship? Better get some rest. You look like hell."

"No offence ma'am but you've also had better days," she said with her girlish laugh.

Stith laughed too but it sounded more like a bark.

"You're right. Let's go."

"My hair!" Kiké moaned.

Swaying her brown-reddish mane over her shoulder to inspect it, she made a face and grumbled. She had beautiful hair, long and silky but now it looked dirty and messed up. Stith extended her hand.

"Maybe you should-"

"Don't!" It sounded harsh and maybe it wasn't meant that way but she appeared agitated. She swayed her mane back to its original position. Stith merely flattened an ear. "Sorry," the Fjetahna girl apologized, realizing she might have been out of line. She nervously whipped her fluffy tail, her eyes turned down. "You have to understand. We don't let anyone just touch our hair."

"Forgive me, I was rude," Stith replied.

She almost forgot. Different races of her species including her own lived by a slightly different set of standards. And because of the diversity of her species, there were many different sets of standards among all of them and each one was respected by the others. Fjetahna females only let the closest of relatives touch their hair. Kiké accepted her apology.

"No big deal. Shall we?"

"My idea," Stith replied, taking the lead.

It was time for an after mission report.

Stith had asked the _Highlander_'s transporter chief to be beamed directly into her Captain's ready room, Kero's orders. He was so glad when she contacted him, though he had been informed by the _Highlander_ that they got her out in time. She materialized in his work environment where he waited for her. The Prince wanted to embrace her the moment she came back and though she appreciated his care, she was aware that she needed a shower, badly. Spreading his muscular arms he approached her but she held him at a distance.

"Kero, I really need a shower right now. I'll only make your uniform dirty."

"Don't care; I'll just put on a clean one." He still looked worried. She understood. He could've lost her just a moment ago. "I can use a bath too, so I don't care." Feeling how his strong arms surrounded her in a loving and protective way, she stopped resisting. Embracing him, she softly licked his cheek. "I was afraid I was gonna lose you," he whispered in her ear.

"You're not gonna lose me," she whispered back. "Not today, not tomorrow, not ever."

"I wish I could somehow be sure of that," he said with an undertone of concern in his voice. "Jason requested me and Joseph aboard his ship on the way back to Sogowa. A Federation ship will pick up all the other survivors and take them back to Earth. They'll be here soon. He said he received some disturbing news from Starfleet Command." Stith rested her head on his warm chest and enjoyed him caressing the edges of her ears. "You and Rilas are my most trusted officers; I want you two with me."

She looked up and released herself from his arms.

"Gotta prepare myself then."

"I know you need to rest. After the meeting I'll give you all the time you want."

"It's all right, sir," she said firmly.

"Don't 'sir' me," he laughed softly, touching his muzzle to hers.

"Oh, you wanna stop being the Captain now, huh?" she said playfully.

Their love game was rudely interrupted by First Officer Rilas.

"Bridge to Captain Kero."

"Go ahead, Commander."

"Incoming transmission from Captain Pierce. It's for Lieutenant Stith. He says it's urgent."

Kero looked at her with a flattened ear while she wondered what Jason needed her for.

"Reroute it to my ready room. She can take it in here."

"Aye sir."

Stith took place behind her Captain's desk and accepted the transmission. Jason's face appeared on the viewer.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Lieutenant but someone here in sickbay wishes to speak to you."

Back in the _Highlander_'s sickbay she already knew who she was looking for. Commander Kyra James was in critical condition and talking to her, the woman who did her best to save her life, was one of her last wishes. Several doctors surrounded her bed but she had already told them to stop wasting resources on her. Her injuries were just too severe and she knew it.

"I don't get it. Every time we manage to stop one bleeding another one starts. We can't contain it."

Stith approached the bed, cursing the fact that she didn't find the Commander sooner. When one of the doctors noticed her, he instructed the others to leave. Respecting Kyra's last wishes they left her alone with her. She still managed to produce a faint smile on her face as Stith sunk slightly through her knees next to her.

"I honestly didn't think it would turn out this way," she said hoarsely.

She was barely able to speak. Severe internal bleeding filled her chest and remaining lung with blood and the doctors couldn't stop it. This woman, this human woman with all her strength and will to survive had been finally beaten and to see her like this made Stith's eyes water. Angry with herself, she grabbed Kyra's hand, which felt cold, and held it in hers.

"It's not fair," she grunted softly.

Kyra weakly shook her head, almost unnoticeably.

"It never is. Don't cry; you have a whole life in front of you. Make the most of it. Promise me you won't throw it away."

"I-I promise," Stith replied, trying to keep her voice from scratching.

"Stith, I personally wanna thank you for saving my life."

"But I didn't," she said through clenched teeth, a single tear leaving a trail on her cheek.

"My body's just giving up. That's not your fault."

She sighed and closed her eyes against the pain.

"Come closer," she whispered.

_**Authors note: Music track 19 (Casualties (2))**_

"Promise me that you'll do everything to prevent more people from dying in such a horrible way."

"I'll kill 'em. I'll destroy every last one of them with my bare hands if I have to," Stith promised, more determent to put an end to this madness than ever.

They were nothing but an engine of destruction. Such a force shouldn't even be allowed to exist.

"That's all I wanted to hear. Thank you. I think it's time to…"

She paused but didn't continue. Stith watched as Commander Kyra James blew out her last breath. Her head fell to the side when the life drained out of her eyes. Holding on to her cold lifeless hand, she prayed not only to the Commander's God or whatever she believed in but also to Kirliya; that she would take care of this courageous woman's soul in the afterlife. An old Mantrin saying said that only the bravest of warriors survive. She couldn't quite figure out why this brave human woman died, because bravery was a quality that was certainly hers to own.

About twenty minutes later, a Federation vessel arrived to pick up all the survivors from the Texas colony to bring them to New Earth. The large starship was fully capable of taking all of them at once and provide them with comfortable crew quarters for the short trip. After it and the two remaining Indarian cruisers warped out of the system, the Captains of the three remaining ships and their escort gathered in the _Highlander_'s conference room. Korso brought Brian and Cale with him and left Akima in charge of the _Valkyrie_. Kero was escorted by Stith and his First Officer Rilas. He left Naea in command of the _Son of the Empire_. As they took their places around the table they all noticed the stars outside the window had stretched themselves out to star lines. All three ships had left the Kaldani system and were back on their original course to Sogowa. None of the attendants had spoken a word since they entered the room. They were dreadfully cut up by what happened, some worse than others. They had seen the deaths, smelled the blood and witnessed the true horrors of war. Captain Jason Pierce was the first one to speak.

"I've called for this meeting because of recent events in both your and my universe. We've seen for ourselves what these Machines are capable of. This colony was of no threat to those monsters and yet they slaughtered them. They slaughtered them for no reason. Only because we're 'weak organic beings' in their mechanical eyes." The attendants all remained silent, yet it was obvious they agreed. Their silence was enough. No reasonable being would disagree. "Here they laid out the evidence that they make no difference between military and civilian targets. On my side it was witnessed as well. Admiral Cunnington told me that the Federation is now officially at war. The Machines have established a presence in our universe and have begun a major push into Federation territory. Several border outposts have already been attacked and we recently lost contact with one of our major colonies." He paused for a moment before continuing. "To make things worse, we also had an encounter with one of our most dangerous enemies. We did manage to defeat them but not without losing a lot of courageous officers performing their duty for the well-being of the Federation and its allies. I know things look pretty grim at the moment but remember, together we stay strong." The attendants of both human and alien origin quietly agreed with him, some nodding confidently. Turning around, asking his audience to focus their attention to the screen, Jason ordered the computer to display a piece of tactical information. The detailed schematics of a new type of tactical torpedo weapon appeared on screen. "Just before I left the starbase, my database was updated with new intel gathered during the attack on the station. Apparently the Machines are deploying a new kind of weapon capable of generating a localized subspace distortion on the point of impact. The shockwave created by this distortion can completely tear a ship apart. That's why we decided to call it a shockwave torpedo."

Kero raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Jason, we've witnessed the use of this weapon by the Machines for ourselves. One of the Indarian warships participating in the defense of the colony was completely destroyed when one of those torpedoes got through their shield grid."

Jason studied the schematic for a moment, looking for a way to explain what Kero just said.

"Hmm, the weapon doesn't seem to have any kind of shield penetration technology on board."

"The shields were probably weakened by the defensive fire. That's why they were able to get a torpedo through," Korso said.

Jason nodded. It was good reasoning.

"Possibly. It's the only logical explanation. We gotta keep strong shields toward the enemy at all times. If the shields weaken, they might get one of these through. Lose an entire vector completely and they'll beam in a boarding party."

"Okay, defensive strategy is clear," Rilas concluded the matter. "But we gotta find a way to penetrate _their_ defenses more quickly. We just saw them sacrifice their fighters to prevent us from blowing the rest out of the sky."

"The idea's simple," Stith interfered. "The smaller ones are linked to their carriers, which they keep at a safe distance out of the fight. We gotta fire everything we got _at_ those carriers _at_ the beginning of the battle. Then we kill the brunt of their assault force."

"True, but they're not entirely stupid either," Cale said. "Somehow I suspect they learn from every encounter with us. They adapt too. Next time they got ships ready to protect those carriers. Then what?"

"Blow 'em all to hell," Stith grunted. "This time we had a colony to defend. Next time we lock every weapon we got onto them and fire away, defended or not."

She snorted and crossed her arms. She appeared ready to make them pay at any time for what they did.

"You may be right," Cale admitted. "But most of the time they're the ones attacking us instead of the other way around. We're the ones defending." He stopped talking. "Instead of criticizing each other's tactics, maybe we should look for the best way to get the job done."

"Anyone disagreeing with this guy?" Brian asked. No one objected. "Don't forget, we were a few ships defending a drifter colony. That's a tough scenario."

"Quite an easy target even for a small fleet," Stith added. "Next time it'll be an entire planet or solar system."

"Let's hope it won't come that far," Kero said. "Maybe the Imperial High Command got some good news."

"New tactics are clear. Let's take a look at their findings before deciding any course of action," Jason finished the discussion. "In the meantime, I think it's wise to contract any defenses around a tighter perimeter. With less territory to defend, it'll become easier to do so."

"Somehow I don't think my people are willing to give up any of their colonies," Kero replied with a sigh. "They'll fight till the last soldier draws its final breath."

"And we'll be there to assist them," Korso supported his words. "They won't be alone in this fight."

Kero crossed his muscular arms and grimaced.

"Thanks. But you shouldn't endanger the lives of your people because of the stubbornness of my mine. Some of them are so eager to fight that they don't care dying on the battlefield. True, there's honor in death but there's a difference between dying for something and dying for nothing. Fight when it's time to fight but know when to pull back when there's no point continuing."

"Better spare your warriors 'till the point that you really need them," Brian said.

The Prince confirmed with a nod.

"Okay, let's see what Command got before making any definite plans," Rilas concluded.

Everyone agreed.

"If we have nothing further to discuss, I'd like to end this meeting," Jason decided.

Everyone stood up.

"May the blood of the fallen give us the strength and determination to defeat our enemies," Rilas said, balling his right hand into a fist. "To victory."

The rest firmly repeated his cheer before leaving the room. Not everyone was as eager to fight as the Mantrins though.

"You haven't said a thing during the meeting."

Jason was a little bit surprised. Chrysta's advice was valuable to him and even turned the scale on some occasions. But she seemed so quiet this time. His comment went unnoticed for a moment as she stared outside into the river of stars ridden by the massive _Son of the Empire _moving in formation with their ship and the _Valkyrie_. Her Captain joined her in front of the large panorama window, the only barrier between them and space.

"I just thought I had nothing to add, sir."

She smiled weakly when her eyes met his. It wasn't that hard for him to figure what went on in her mind at the moment. He was willing to bet they were sharing the same thoughts right now.

"You do know that I value your counsel, Chrysta?"

"Of course, Captain."

He returned her smile but turned serious after.

"I want you with me on our meeting with the Imperial High Command. The information they possess might give us some insight in what those Machines are up to."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Of course, Commander."

"Sir, when I joined Starfleet I never prepared for war. I mean, of course Starfleet training prepared me for almost every possible combat situation but to witness real war with all the killing, the deaths, the destruction… It just never seemed likely to me. I almost thought, with the Federation at peace for so long, that it was a thing of the past."

"So did I," he agreed with his Number One. He was right. They were sharing thoughts right now. They were at the eve of war. _This is how they must've felt._ He flashed back to his Academy days, studying the logs and records of the many famous Starfleet Captains that went before him and found themselves in a similar situation at a different point in time. Wars were never a thing of the past, no matter how desperately people wanted it to be and it was all frighteningly real and close by right now. "You can train all you want. You can spend each day of your life in combat simulation and never experience the feeling of the real thing. Don't just fear it. A bit of fear is good. Think about it as another part of duty. That's why you're wearing that uniform. Because the citizens of the Federation and now the Republic as well rely on people like us. People who are willing to give their lives to ensure the safety and well-being of millions of others."

He realized that his words sounded like the same speech the Admiral back at the starbase had given him. It was good advice however and maybe it would put her mind at ease just as it did his.

"Yes sir. Thank you, sir."

"Then back to the bridge it is, Commander. We've got duties to attend to."


	28. Chapter 26 Holding the Line

**Holding the Line**

"All senior officers, please report to the bridge."

That com. signal came at a very inconvenient time. It was very early in what humans would have called morning and although he only had a few hours of dreamless Akrennian sleep, Preed still felt sufficiently rested. He was just annoyed that what little free time he had left ended so abruptly. He was lying on his back on the bed playing with his decorated knife while looking out of the window to the stars passing by. They had already been travelling at warp when he closed his eyes and that hadn't changed so whatever it was Ayko called her officers to the bridge for must have gotten something to do with that communiqué from the Military Command. Ayko had spoken very serious about that thing with Kryfar so that must be the thing responsible for their current course. He slowly got up and gave out a loud complaining yawn. Not because he was tired but because he didn't want to get up to the bridge to see Kryfar's ugly face again. But not doing as the Captain pleases was the equivalent of asking Kryfar to kill him which probably had the same effect so he slowly got up from the bed to prepare for duty. The bed was a luxury only shared among the senior officers who didn't have to put up with the bunks in the cramped crew quarters which had to be shared with another crewmate. The Captain probably didn't allow him to sleep in her quarters because it would be completely inappropriate for an Akrennian Captain to share quarters with a lower-ranking officer while not officially engaged. It could get both the Captain and his or her lover killed. With these thoughts in the back of his mind, Preed stepped into the corridor, crewmembers passing by on their way to and from the command deck. He quickened his pace and made himself look taller to look more worthy to be an officer on an Akrennian ship of war when he walked down the corridors on his way to the bridge.

While entering the Tsun'rhaa's command center he noticed that he wasn't the last to enter. The helmsman hadn't been relieved yet by his partner from the next shift and some of the chairs were still empty. The sand-colored female he got to know as Iyu was already present and the female ops. officer had already taken her station next to the helm console. The Captain and First Officer had already taken their places and the last one gave him the same vicious look as before. Preed didn't stare back to make it look like a challenge but just took his place on the Captain's left side greeting her as he did.

"Good morning Lieutenant, I hope you slept well" Ayko said on a calm tone.

"Yes ma'am, I'm fit for duty again" Preed replied wanting that Kryfar would stop staring at him from behind his back.

He was really starting to hate Ayko's First Officer and he wished something terrible and extremely painful would happen to him. Like being thrown into the mud pits in the Ykk'ta region of his homeworld. The thick hot mixture of sand and water from the springs in this volcanic region would be enough to literally boil the flesh from his bones. While Preed began thinking of more creative and most amusing ways to send the Akrennian Commander to his grave, the bridge crew for the upcoming shift took their places. When everyone had taken their stations, the Captain raised her voice to inform her staff about their presumable next mission.

"All right listen up! Earlier, we have received word from the Military Command that the enemy might be planning an attack on solar systems within Akrennian controlled territory. They were right! We have just received word that an unidentified fleet is closing in on the Xirosa system. The Military Command has ordered all vessels in the sector to join the main defense fleet in this system. We have been recalled as well."

"We will not allow those Machines to violate our territory!" one of her officers exclaimed.

The Akrennian male raised his fist into the air.

"Long live the Akrennian Empire!"

Ayko's bridge staff proudly repeated his yell. Ayko nodded approving and showed her long razor-sharp fangs.

"That's what I wanted to hear! Come 'on you filthy desert dogs, let's teach those mechanical fools a lesson they'll never forget!"

The crew cheered and Preed was with them as well. For the first time he was onboard Ayko's ship he felt like an actual member of its crew. However the upcoming battle might prove difficult if the enemy was determined to take the Xirosa system. The Akrennian Empire wasn't very large but the loss of Xirosa to a large enemy invasion fleet could be disastrous. It was a strategic position on the edge of Akrennian space and the loss of this system would allow the enemy to set up a base of operations and begin a major push into the rest of the Empire's territory and even provide them with a way to reach Akrennia itself. But if it was up to Ayko, she would be the one to make a difference. Preed really admired the strong and confident Akrennian female. At least she knew how to command her ship. He doubted if he could do the same in her position, especially with a First Officer who could stab you in the back at any moment without hesitation.

About half an hour later the battlecruiser Tsun'rhaa dropped out of warp at the edge of the Xirosa system. The solar system was composed of only five planets orbiting a binary star. The blue giant and yellow dwarf star were involved in a wild fiery dance, keeping each other balanced in their gravitational pull and constantly tearing the burning plasma from each other's surface. The battle between the two celestial bodies was actually quite beautiful to watch if it weren't for the fact that this system might soon be flooded with hundreds of enemy ships. They couldn't detect any weaponsfire so the Akrennian forces stationed in the system weren't under siege yet. The Akrennian fleet was holding position near Xirosa IV with shields active and weapon systems fully charged. Since this system was a key position, the Akrennians had placed numerous orbital defense platforms around the most important planets. These heavily armed stationary platforms were overloaded with blistering weaponry. Four dual-barreled laser cannons and six rocket pods stocked with guided missiles each, these platforms would surely turn a whole section of the enemy assault fleet into scrap metal.

The Tsun'rhaa moved in on the fleet and was immediately being hailed by the Fleet Commander.

"Good to see you Captain" the green-skinned Akrennian male greeted.

"Sir!" Ayko replied standing up from her chair and saluting the higher ranking officer.

The other Akrennian was huge and looked aggressive. Numerous scars covered his face indicating that he really fought his way up to earn this position. At the same time he was commanding the fleet, he was also in command of the largest warship. All the Akrennian vessels featured the same aggressive design much like the species itself but this monstrous creation was a mere combination of size and firepower. It was probably very slow and hard to maneuver but the amount of fire its weapon systems were capable of delivering was sufficient to eliminate the need for speed and maneuverability. Most civilian and older military equipment was quite bulky but the engineers were gradually replacing these outdated designs with newer sleeker ones.

"From the tactical information the humans provided us with, we have determined that it is likely that enemy will attack in multiple waves. First they will send in their assault fighters to keep us too busy fighting off these little pests to allow stronger ships to enter the battle without much effort. Then they will use their destroyers to cripple our defenses and finally their larger battleships to finish us off."

"What about the 'drone-versus-drone' tactic the humans are planning to utilize?" Ayko asked.

"We've only been able to modify a few of our assault fighters to be used as drones but it's far from sufficient" the Fleet Commander replied.

"We are not expecting any reinforcements from the humans since their first ships are not scheduled to be ready to leave space dock in four days. However we've send out a general call to arms on all frequencies so now it's just waiting if someone decides to show up after all."

"So much for helping each other out" Ayko muttered under her breath.

The Republic had made assisting each other in fighting this war an important point on their agenda so it wasn't unfair of them to expect them to show up now that things were heating up here.

"I'll follow your orders no matter what sir. After this battle is over, we're the ones that will prevail."

"I expect nothing less Captain. Activate your weapons and assume position."

"Aye sir" Ayko replied.

When the transmission resumed on audio only Ayko began barking orders.

"You heard him! Trynan, take us into position!" she yelled.

"All hands man your battle stations! Red alert!"

"Copy that ma'am! Shields to maximum, charging weapons to full power!" Ayko's tactical officer replied.

"We're in position Captain" the grey-furred male helm officer replied a few seconds later.

"Okay! Since we need to keep every single one of those turrets firing we're going to split! Preed! Kryfar! You two are responsible for a third of the turrets. Reroute the controls for the port and starboard sides to your consoles."

"Aye Captain" Preed replied.

Although he was not as good with weapons as Stith was back on the _Valkyrie_, he was still capable of fighting off enemy attackers. This was no different. Getting acquainted with each one of the ships weapon systems assigned to his control he couldn't help but wonder where the others of his former crew would be right now. He heard something about going to the Mantrin homeworld to find out what their intelligence had found out about the Machines. Had he made a mistake by joining Ayko's crew? Was his mistake about to get him killed?

"Bad time for having second thoughts Preed" he thought.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the voice of the Fleet Commander over the com..

"Fleet Commander Phleg to all ships. Enemy warships have entered the system. Prepare to engage."

A destructive storm of heavily armed metal forced its way into the system at full speed. Not a single Captain in the entire Akrennian fleet defending the Xirosa system had ever seen something that compared to this. The amount of warp flashes from enemy vessels dropping to sublight speed followed each other up so quickly that the Akrennians started to wonder if it would ever end. The carriers had probably already launched their craft before they entered the system to render them less vulnerable. Literally hundreds and hundreds of attack fighters divided into dozens of squadrons moved in to engage and destroy everything in their path. Behind this massive wall of deadly, rapid moving metal the actual Machine Dominion fleet was holding position to finish what the fighters were planning to start. Actual fear struck the faces of the Akrennian officers observing what they were up against.

"How many Djorath?" Ayko asked not letting a tiny drop of the fear she felt slip into her voice.

"I'm reading twelve-hundred and seventy-two ships ma'am" her tactical officer replied with a shaky voice.

Djorath was a crossbreed. His grey-skinned body was covered by a few patches of fur in a very uncommon blue color. Hairy accents on his ears completed his appearance. Ayko grinned baring her sharp fangs.

"They might have more ships but we have the advantage of the defending side. We have our orbital weapons platforms. Now do we let them take our system or are we gonna do something about it?!" she yelled.

The officers under her command supported their Captain of course and some of them even let out war cries and other obscure sounds to prepare for battle.

"Commence firing!" Ayko ordered vehemently feeling a bit of excitement herself.

The Tsun'rhaa picked a squadron of fighters together with two other ships and Preed, Kryfar and Djorath started to fire the ships weapons. The Tsun'rhaa's laser cannons were powerful enough to take out the enemy fighters with a few shots while its missiles with tracking capability destroyed everything the lasers happened to miss. Trynan was a capable helm officer and the furred Akrennian skillfully maneuvered the ship between the enemy ranks so that the three gunners could take out numerous targets with ease. The entire bridge was bathing in the light of the quickly dying explosions of enemy ships taken out by their fire. The weapons platforms in orbit of the nearby planet automatically locked targets as they came within range. A dazzling barrage of missiles and lasers penetrated the enemy's defenses and took out multiple squadrons. However the Akrennian fleet was taking losses as well. Several ships were destroyed because of the swarming fighters now concentrating their fire on a few selected targets.

"Shields are at fifty-seven percent!" Djorath yelled above the sound of explosions inside the ship.

"We're taking damage!"

"Move us out of their weapons range!" Ayko shouted.

"Fire the starboard cannons!"

"Yes Captain" Kryfar replied his fingers dancing over the console.

At that moment the two ships accompanying the Tsun'rhaa in its assault were stuck by a bright white torpedo weapon. The destructive force of the weapon broke both vessels in two after which both remaining halves exploded.

"The N'rali and the Chun'thoo have been destroyed Captain!" Kryfar yelled.

Ayko cursed violently before ordering evasive maneuvers. In spite of the weapons platforms, the Akrennian had lost nearly a third of their fleet and the enemy just kept sending in more ships.

"This is Fleet Commander Phleg to all ships. The enemy attack fighters are interlinked to their carriers. If we manage to destroy them, it would render more than half of their fleet harmless. Focus your attacks!"

"Easier said than done" Ayko thought.

Of course the enemy was keeping their vulnerable carriers at a safe distance to prevent this from happening. So far they only managed to destroy two of the carriers. They were just too heavily defended by their accompanying fighters. The Tsun'rhaa shook violently when multiple hits struck a single shield vector. A console on the bridge exploded and one of Ayko's officers got severely wounded. The sand-colored female ops. officer crashed to the ground. The right side of her face was badly burned and the upper layer of skin from her arm on the right side was completely scorched away by the explosion. Ayko immediately jumped up from her chair to help her officer.

"Bridge to infirmary! Medical emergency!"

"You're going to be all right Iyu" she assured the wounded Akrennian woman.

"Thank you ma'am" she brought out weakly the blood trickling from her mouth.

"Captain! Several more ships have entered the system!" Kryfar reported.

"More enemies?!" Ayko bit back.

"No Captain, they are… Federation! Four Federation vessels and three Denali cruisers."

"They must have received our call to arms" Ayko replied.

"They are hailing the fleet."

"Put it on audio!" Ayko ordered.

"This is Captain Arthur Wallace of the Federation starship USS _Shenandoah_ to the Akrennian fleet. We have received you distress call and are here to provide aid."

"It wasn't a distress call but a call to arms" Ayko thought a bit agitated.

But these ships were here to help so that meant that the humans had kept word about helping each other out in times of war.

"This is Fleet Commander Phleg to Federation taskforce and Denali vessels. Thanks for helping us out. The enemy is determined to take this system from us. We need to take out their carriers."

"Understood Commander Phleg. We're moving to engage. Wallace out."

The small Federation/Denali fleet joined the Akrennians in their battle as soon as they entered weapons range. The multi-targeting systems of the Federation vessel's phaser arrays could take out multiple targets at once while the Denali ship's slow firing but powerful beam cannons could take out even the larger targets with ease. The taskforce began an attack run on the enemy carriers, a large swarm of fighters in pursuit.

"Status?" Ayko wanted to know as a medical team brought the wounded Iyu down to the infirmary.

_**Authors note: Music track 20.**_

"Our shields are at thirty-six percent and we are down to nineteen missiles" Djorath reported.

"More than ninety percent of our orbital platforms surrounding Xirosa IV have been destroyed" Kryfar reported partly replacing Iyu by accessing the ships scanners.

"What about the enemy?"

"They are down to three-hundred and sixty-two ships. The Federation/Denali taskforce has managed to destroy several carriers but their ships are taking damage."

Ayko had to decide if she would take her ship into battle again to take out the remaining enemies or if she had to stand down to prevent her ship from being destroyed. Unfortunately the decision was made for her.

"Captain I'm detecting numerous new contacts!" Kryfar suddenly yelled.

"What?! On screen!" she replied a bit shocked.

"By the gods" she whispered in disbelief staring at the viewscreen with genuine fear on her face. Hundreds, possibly thousands of enemy reinforcements poured into the system. This new reinforcement fleet was probably five times as large as the first one.

"We have to fall back" a tiny voice whispered in the back of her head.

"We cannot hold the Xirosa system. This is a battle we cannot win."

The Federation/Denali fleet already began their retreat out of the fight since it was pointless to keep fighting against such superior numbers.

"This is Fleet Commander Phleg to Akrennian fleet. We have to retreat, the enemy is too strong."

The voice of the Commander sounded full of frustration and anger but above that all defeat. All ships now backed out of the fight. The Federation vessels kept providing support fire to cover the retreating ships. Luckily the Military Command had ordered to evacuate all facilities and colonies in this system in case such a thing like this would happen.

"I'm ordering all Akrennian ships to retreat and regroup at the nearby Vindra system. I repeat, the Xirosa system is lost, retreat and regroup at the Vindra system. Phleg out."

The defeated Akrennian fleet limped out the system. Ayko cursed and slammed her fist on the arm rest of the Captain's chair.

"Do as he says!" Ayko grumbled.

"Aye Captain" Trynan replied preparing the damaged Tsun'rhaa for warp.

"What do we do now Captain?" Kryfar asked.

"Don't ask stupid questions!" Ayko barked.

"We have to wait for now instructions from the Military Command. Every ship has taken damage and needs to be rearmed and repaired before we can even think of retaking the Xirosa system. The best thing we can do for now is lick our wounds and wait before we can come up with a plan to do so."

Every ship warped out for the approaching enemy armada. Even the Federation/Denali reinforcements accompanied them back to the Vindra system in case the enemy might try to follow. Luckily that didn't happen and after making sure that the enemy fleet was not in pursuit their ships left the formation and changed course. On the way back Ayko began to think about Preed. She looked at her new officer from the corner of her eye. He was actually quite capable of handling her ships weapons and she began to wonder why he had left the military. Regret maybe? Or a possible scandal back on Akrennia? She promised herself to try and find out before making love with this guy. Oh she was indeed attracted to him. He had something special. Something that differed him from other Akrennians. She couldn't quite figure out what it was but she would find out eventually.


	29. Chapter 27 The Lion's Den

**The Lion's Den**

"My lord, I am pleased to inform you that the _Son of the Empire_ has returned. Two more vessels have joined her on her way back. One human vessel and also one from that new Federation."

Zahn snorted. His son Kero wouldn't hesitate to invite the entire Earth to Sogowa. He probably meant it as a sign of good faith but he heard some disturbing rumors of citizens of the Empire opposed to this whole alliance thing. Zahn sincerely hoped that it wouldn't prove to be of any danger to possible visitors from both the Earth and the Federation vessels. The private com. center in the Imperial palace was practically only used by him. It was mainly used to maintain contact with all the executive powers within the Empire like the Imperial Guard and in some cases the Elite Assault Force.

"Thank you Admiral" he replied.

"I expect my son to return home after the debriefing."

"Of course my lord. In fact we were planning to let Prince Rajah assist him on his next mission."

"Is it that worse?" Zahn grunted.

If the Imperial Guard was about to make an appeal to the EAF it must be a matter of utmost concern.

"I'm afraid so, my lord. Imperial Intelligence has learned that the Machine Dominion has succeeded in conquering the Xirosa system."

"That is Akrennian territory" Zahn replied.

"That is correct my lord. The Akrennians couldn't believe what they saw. They described it as a moving wall of deadly metal. Literally thousands and thousands of ships. The Akrennian fleet had to retreat before they could suffer too many losses. In addition, several other species have also suffered attacks on their border outposts and outlying colonies."

Zahn let out a frustrated growl. The Akrennian Military Alliance might not be the most efficient military organization but they could not be defeated so easily. The fact that the Machines had started a full scale offensive against the Akrennian Empire would indicate that they had build up a sufficient number of forces to start a war against the rest of the quadrant. They had to be stopped and they had to be stopped now.

"The humans have already been attacked. Have they shared any useful information or battle tactics with us?" Zahn asked.

"As a matter of fact they did my lord. Those Federation people have provided us with an entire database with everything they've learned about this colliding universes phenomenon. But not just that, if you are looking for some delicious Earth recipes, well, we've got those too."

Zahn flattened an ear.

"Okay" he replied, stretching out the word.

"If there is nothing else?"

"Have a nice evening my lord. Sleep well. Xilrai out."

The transmission ended and the large viewscreen showing the Orketh Admiral's face now displayed the logo of the Imperial Guard with 'end transmission' underneath. Zahn blew out his breath with a deep sigh. Ruling an Empire was a huge responsibility and during wartime this responsibility would almost double in size. The Emperor was just standing there for a moment, staring at his own reflection in the large viewscreen. There were times that he almost wished that he could just throw it away for a while and just be an ordinary Mantrin. No obligations, no meetings and no worries that things might go wrong if he wasn't there to do something about it.

Eventually he left the room and went back to the throne hall where he joined his lovable and caring wife The'lah. The sweet female Goureg with the strong personality he loved so much was standing on the large balcony overlooking the city. It was still light but it probably wouldn't take long for the sun to disappear beneath the horizon. It was proving to be a cool and cloudy evening and judging by those clouds the night would probably bring a refreshing rain over the land. He flung an arm around her shoulder and showed his affection by licking her cheek. She looked back at him with those beautiful friendly blue eyes typical for Gouregs and returned the favor.

"Our son Kero is coming home again" Zahn said a bit happily.

"I knew he would be successful" The'lah replied with her warm voice.

"You were right when you told me that I needed to have a little more confidence in him" he admitted.

"I know I'm a bit insufferable sometimes."

The'lah smiled and cuddled him firmly. She was slightly smaller than him but still strong and muscular like all Mantrins.

"That's why I love you, you stubborn little boy."

Zahn smirked although he knew it was true. But he had promised himself to be a little more indulgent towards both his sons because a good father should listen to what they had to say just like a good ruler listens to his advisors. In either case it wouldn't hurt.

The Imperial High Command was essentially the top of the Mantrin military organization known as the Imperial Guard. Their command center was a huge space facility orbiting Sogowa III. In one of the large strategic centers, the highest ranking officers of the _Son of the Empire_, _Valkyrie_ and _Highlander_ had been engaged in a heated discussion. Although he rather liked Prince Kero and knew the Mantrins wouldn't do anything to harm him, Jason Pierce still didn't feel entirely comfortable with these huge creatures yelling at each other. His Number One probably felt the same because she too hadn't said much.

"The largest concentration of enemy forces is holding up here" Admiral Xilrai explained by pointing at a large display integrated into the wall.

"Aridanis?" Kero replied flattening an ear.

"Why haven't we detected them earlier if they are holding up there?"

"The ship we sent to investigate never came back. You don't have to be brilliant to assume that they must be building up their forces in that system" the Orketh Admiral replied rather cranky.

Another Admiral of the Goureg race cleared it up a bit more.

"Next to sending a ship to investigate, we have been triangulating their interlink signals. The source of these signals is coming from Aridanis IV. We have reason to believe that their AI must be located at this planet."

"And, you are planning to attack it" Korso added because he knew what the Mantrins were probably up to judging by the direction the discussion was heading.

"We are going to launch a full scale assault, obliterate everything!" Xilrai suddenly exclaimed.

Although the Orketh's were not the largest of Mantrins, they were still the size of the average human male and far stronger. He looked very dangerous when he was standing like this, angrily whipping his large muscular tail and his triangular eyes flickering with anger.

"This time we're going on the offensive! We will strike at the very heart of our enemy! After we have destroyed everything, a team of EAF soldiers will go down and make sure that there will be nothing left of the AI. Kero! We were planning to carry a few teams of EAF soldiers aboard your ship. Your brother Rajah will assist you on your mission. You will report at the training grounds by tomorrow morning. Questions?"

"No sir!" Kero replied firmly.

"But sir" Rilas said.

"Isn't Aridanis IV the same planet where the Empire wanted to establish another colony?"

Aridanis IV was a developing class M world with no intelligent life of its own or at least not yet. Since it was a beautiful flourishing world it was perfect for a settlement. At least, if it hadn't already been taken by the Machines.

"That is correct Commander. They have taken it from us and now we are taking it back! They have no right to take and destroy what is rightfully ours! The attack will begin tomorrow."

Jason could no longer restrain himself. According to the Admiral the Mantrins were about to make the biggest mistake they could make. And it was going to cost thousands and thousands of unnecessary lives. The armada of vessels holding up in that system was probably big enough to take on the whole quadrant. Pierce addressed him with as much tact as possible.

"Yes human?" Xilrai bit back in his anger about the Machines.

"I mean, yes Captain?" he said again with a, for his species, much gentler voice.

"With all due respect Admiral, I don't think that sending an assault fleet is the best course of action."

Xilrai snorted and glared down his muzzle for a few seconds, staring back at Jason like if the Federation Captain were a complete fool. The other Admiral however didn't have as much patience as Xilrai.

"The Empire will not yield!" the Goureg Admiral growled slamming his massive fist on the table leaving a large dent in the metal.

He only missed the large tactical display in the middle by a few inches. Otherwise his blow would have caused an explosion of glass in the room with possible injuries as a result.

"We will not stand watch and let those Machines violate our territory!" he barked.

"We will commence our attack tomorrow and annihilate them all!"

"Now wait a sec!" Xilrai interrupted, quieting the Goureg.

The smaller Mantrin crossed his arms.

"What exactly are you proposing?" he asked not being able to understand.

Was this human planning on negotiating peace with this mechanical entity? He seriously hoped he wasn't. Jason was a bit frightened by the sudden outburst of the other Mantrin but quickly regained his courage and explained what he came up with.

"If you launch an all out attack on that system, the chances are that we'll get everyone killed without even denting the actual artificial entity. We don't know how many ships they have or how strong their defenses are. Since the AI is holding up in the Aridanis system it is their most heavily defended position."

"Again, what are you proposing?" Xilrai repeated tapping with his huge foot on the metal floor.

"Send in a small team to destroy the AI. If we can get an elite team of heavily armed commandos on the surface of that planet we can infiltrate the place where it is hiding and destroy it without having to fight the entire armada defending the system. We can make use of cloaking technology to get a team down undetected."

"Right" Xilrai slowly replied.

"Secondly we need to have more recon. We can't launch any operation without more intel about what's going on in there."

"I'll dispatch two warships to reconnoiter the area, you'll have your intel by tomorrow" Xilrai replied immediately.

He made a quick gesture with his head to one of his officers who immediately disappeared to execute his superior's orders.

"Thank you Admiral" Jason replied.

Suddenly Xilrai gave him a sharp-toothed grin.

"I think I kinda like you human, you are one person that's thinking straight."

Jason thanked him again. Now that he had gained the Mantrin's trust he needed to overthink the final stage of his plan.

"Destroying the AI is probably difficult. Who knows what kind of defenses, booby traps and fail-safe and backup mechanisms that things has?"

"We're probably gonna need a lot of explosives" Stith replied with a big grin.

"But there is no way getting that much explosives in there" Commander Kenneth turned the plan down.

"If we can infect that thing with some kind of quantum virus" Kero mumbled.

That thing was in essence a big computer. If they could get a virus inside it would destroy the entire thing from the inside out.

"What did you say?" Xilrai asked.

Kero looked up. The Admiral had heard his remark and indeed spoken to him.

"Well sir, I was thinking. It's just a big computer, right? If we can prepare some kind of quantum-based virus and infect it. Well it should be terminated forever. By the way, a data module is far smaller than a whole bunch of explosives. We can accomplish the same goal with a whole less effort."

The smile that had appeared on Xilrai's face could only mean one thing. He was satisfied or at least for a part. He would be totally satisfied if it also worked but it would do for now.

"Excellent Captain. With minds like yours in our middle we cannot be defeated. Victory will be ours!"

He suddenly went serious.

"Your orders still stand Captain. Your own brother will escort you to the training grounds of the Elite Assault Force by tomorrow morning. With the technologies in their research center they will be able to synthesize that virus in half the time we can. Only the highest ranking officers are allowed to come with you since the things you're gonna see there are top secret. That also applies to you Captains."

Xilrai nodded towards Pierce, Winter, Korso and Brian.

"They have to make an exception since we cannot execute this plan of yours on our own. I'll send the intel you requested to the EAF's base of operations. May Kirliya assist us in achieving victory!" Xilrai closed the matter.

"Good evening."

They all stood up as the Admirals left the room.

"Well, better back to the ship and take some rest" Jason suggested.

"You too Number One. You'll need to have wits about you tomorrow."

Kero flicked an ear.

"If you all want, you can also spend the night on Sogowa?" he offered.

"I can understand if you're growing tired of sleeping on a ship. Besides, if you do, you won't have to hurry next morning."

"Thanks for the offer but I don't wanna bother the Emperor or his wife" Korso replied.

"Me neither" Jason added.

"Nonsense, the palace has lots of guestrooms. It might be a bit too large for your customs but I guess that's not such a big deal" Kero insisted.

Eventually both Captains agreed and their First Officers agreed to go with them. Besides you don't get to meet the Emperor everyday.

"If we use my ships transporters we don't have to go by shuttles" Jason suggested.

"Sure, let me get my stuff first" Kero replied.

"Do we still have time for sightseeing?" Jason joked.

"I hoped to see more of you culture one day. Besides it's very inappropriate to beam into the palace right away."

"All right, all right, but not too long" Kero laughed.

Before heading over to Jason's ship for the beam-over, Korso decided to put the _Valkyrie_ down on the spaceport anyway. Keeping the ship in orbit with only so few crewmen aboard was absolutely unnecessary and with the solid ground under their feet, the crew would probably sleep better. Brian even offered to stay with the ship but Korso needed him next morning so he still asked his First Officer to come along.

"All right sir" Commander Kenneth gave in with a sigh.

"But I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of sleeping in the palace of the Mantrin Emperor."

"Well, Prince Kero invited us remember?" Korso replied.

"You're probably right sir" Brian said.

After both Republican officers got what they needed to spend the night elsewhere they contacted Pierce to beam them out.

"We'll keep an eye on her Korso, don't worry" Akima assured him.

Korso knew that his ship would be in good hands if the female pilot would take care of it. Akima was just too attached to this ship, possibly just as much as he was and maybe even more.

"Thanks Akima" he replied.

"I'll contact you in the morning. Let me know at any time if there's something that needs my personal attention."

"I will sir" Akima replied and saluted.

"Sleep well."

Korso wished her the same just before the _Highlander_'s transporter system locked on to him and Brian and beamed them out after which they were transported back to the surface of the planet almost instantly.

Three Mantrins and four humans materialized on a small square somewhere in the magnificent city of Ta'keth not very far from the Imperial palace. It was getting dark already and the only light was now coming from artificial sources like the street lamps and houses and Sogowa's two moons She'loh and Dimra as Kero explained. Curious as he was, Jason eagerly started to take a closer look at everything his eyes caught, fascinated by the Mantrins' use of decoration and architecture. Making first contact with new species is one thing but getting a chance to study their culture on their homeworld in more detail was absolutely amazing. Mantrin architecture was primarily aimed at having enough space to move around. Therefore the buildings were kept low, with large door openings and windows and lots of large open space to move around. The streets of the city were wide and narrow alleys were practically non-existent. Inhabitants of the city walked down the streets, heading home to see their families or just for a little walk. Since humans were an uncommon sight, every Mantrin that walked by almost immediately noticed the little companionship flattening an ear about the different uniforms the humans were wearing.

"Your city is beautiful" Jason complemented.

"I'm glad you like it" Kero replied.

"Everyone's UT working?" he asked in his own language.

Everyone confirmed that their universal translator was working at optimal efficiency.

"You have some place where we can get ourselves a drink?" Korso asked craving for an ice cold beer.

"Somehow, I don't think that is such a good idea" Rilas replied.

Kero agreed. Not every Mantrin in this city liked outsiders and getting into a fight with a member of his species would probably get the humans killed. But before they could respond a small Mantrin boy, Goureg race, probably not much older than two years curiously approached them and held still in front of Chrysta. The young Mantrin flattened one of his ears and carefully observed the human woman with two cute bright blue eyes. Because of his very young age, he was a tad smaller then Chrysta but would soon be a lot bigger.

"Are you a human?" he asked with the sweetest child-like voice while hiding his claws behind his back.

His tail was slowly whipping from one side to the other. Chrysta slightly sunk through her knees so she was at equal height with the Mantrin boy.

"That's right" she replied very friendly and with a sweet smile.

"How are you able to walk?" the young Mantrin asked pointing at her for a Mantrin tiny legs.

"Your legs are so tiny and you don't even have a tail. How are you able to keep balance?"

"We are just born that way" Chrysta explained.

"My species is entirely different from yours."

Jason joined Chrysta, fascinated to see a youngling from the Mantrin species.

"Isn't he cute?" Chrysta asked her Captain.

Before Jason could respond the young Mantrin objected.

"No I'm not" he replied.

"When I'm older I'm gonna be just as big and strong as my daddy is" he said proudly.

"I wanna be a warrior just like him."

Chrysta was completely taken by surprise. This young Mantrin was still even a child and he was already thinking about fighting a war just like his father. He was confidently staring at her and Jason like he was willing to prove himself right here and now. Unfortunately for him, his mother, judging by the gruff female voice, called him back home.

"I'm coming momma" he yelled back with a child-like voice.

A large female Goureg stepped in the light spread by the lamps surrounding the square. She was huge, heavily muscled and probably not very good-humored judging by the expression on her face.

"Are you bothering other people again?" she asked on a harsh tone tapping with her massive foot on the ground.

"Not at all ma'am" Chrysta replied offering the boy some protection.

The female snorted and grumbled at seeing the humans. But when her eyes caught Kero, Rilas and Stith wearing their red Imperial uniforms she didn't know what to say.

"Prince Kero" she whispered falling on one knee.

"I'm so sorry for my son. He shouldn't have bothered you."

Kero let out a sigh in his mind.

"Why do they always have to do that?" he asked himself stepping up towards the female Goureg.

He helped her to get up.

"There is no need for you to do that" he said friendly.

"Thank you, your Eminence" she replied.

"As for your son, a little harmless curiosity is nothing to be ashamed of" Kero said stroking the boy's head.

The young Mantrin softly purred under his touch, excited that he met the Prince of the Empire in person.

"Have a nice evening" Kero wished the Goureg Mantrinesse.

"You too, your Eminence" she replied dragging her son back home with her on his arm.

Kero shook his head. He was never able to walk through the streets of the city without someone bowing in front of him or calling him 'your Eminence'. Being a Prince has its advantages but sometimes he wished he was just a normal person, like that little boy. He turned around to face the rest of the group.

"Shall we head home?" he suggested already heading on the way for the palace.

It was now practically dark and they wouldn't be able to see much of the city with this light.

It wasn't a long walk to the palace gates and it wouldn't take the average Mantrin more than twenty minutes to reach the outer gates from here. However since the humans took three steps while Kero took only one it would probably take slightly longer. Curiosity was probably a natural-born quality of those Starfleet people because Jason and Chrysta slowly wandered off each time they noticed another great cultural hotspot or different style of architecture. He decided not to suppress their enthusiasm and let them go which eventually turned out to be a mistake on his part. A few minutes later he had lost track of Jason. The Starfleet Captain was nowhere to be seen and even Commander Winter didn't know where her Captain could be.

"How can that be? He was standing next me when we were admiring that sculpture a few minutes ago" Chrysta said worried about her Captain.

The group halted and actively looked around to see if they could catch a glimpse of the Starfleet Captain. The dimly lit street and the pale light of Sogowa's two moons wasn't enough to distinguish the human against the darkness of the night.

"That was absolutely beautiful" Jason thought while turning away from the decorated fountain.

The watershow created by this thing was absolutely spectacular to watch and the sculptures of Mantrin warriors in full combat gear in the middle of it looked extremely detailed. The artist who had created this had probably made the fountain his life's work. He really should take an entire tour through this city after the war. It would surely be worth the effort. These creatures really had a fascinating culture and he would love to see more but the others would probably be looking for him by now so he headed back as quick as he could through a maze of smaller streets and alleys crisscrossing the city.

"This way or that way?" he thought.

Just when he realized he had taken the wrong direction to a dead alley and wanted to turn around and head back he ran into some unpleasant company. A small group of three Mantrins with their arms crossed blocked his way. Each one of them was heavily muscled and didn't look very friendly.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the middle one and largest of the three said on a teasing tone.

"It's a human" a smaller female replied.

"Just look at that puny sight" the other male said.

"Such tiny legs" the largest of the three said.

"Small, weak, it's almost pathetic."

Jason now noticed in what little light available that he was a Sogowan. The girl was an Orketh and the other smaller male was also Sogowan. But the strangest thing was that these three were probably still kids with the larger Sogowan the leader of the group. He was probably already in his teenage years because he was bigger than him but still young for a Mantrin.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to anger you" Jason said not wanting to offend the Mantrins.

He knew that if they get angry they would be easily able to kill him. The oldest one let out a laugh that sounded more like a bark.

"Do you hear that? The human doesn't want to anger us."

The others laughed with him but suddenly the larger Sogowan went serious. The laughing immediately faded away.

"What are you doing on our planet human?" he asked.

He could also just have asked how Jason dared to set foot on this world. His dirty look and hostile way of pronouncing the words were enough to ensure Jason that he wasn't welcome in the eyes of these Mantrins.

"I assure you that I'm handling in the best interest of both our people" Jason replied.

"My father doesn't like humans" the big Mantrin muttered without paying attention to Jason's words.

"Me neither" he added giving Jason another filthy look.

Jason now knew for sure that his curiosity got him into trouble once again. These Mantrins weren't planning on letting him go so easily. The problem was that he was standing in a dead alley so the only way out was past the three bully's. Suddenly his communicator beeped.

"Jason where are you? We should get underway."

"I'm near the…"

But before he could tell them he was in trouble and explain the situation the Sogowan picked the combadge from his uniform and studied the little device.

"Some kind of communication device" he muttered.

"Please, that is a very delicate piece of equipment, would you…"

An evil grin appeared on the Mantrin's face when a cracking sound came from his massive right hand that was now balled into a fist. He just kept showing his evil sharp-toothed grin while sprinkling out the tiny little pieces of the Starfleet combadge in front of Jason's eyes. The two others laughed and Jason felt genuine fear arise in his chest. The last time he had felt this way was back at Starfleet Academy. He was still a young Cadet and on a late night he and his mates ran into a small group of Nausicans on the way back to the compound. They had behaved almost exactly the same way but then he had at least been on his own homeworld.

"What da ya think? Shall we teach this human how to show a little respect to us?" he encouraged the others while cracking his knuckles.

When the others agreed they started to close in on him.

"No please, I just wanna…"

"What?!" the larger Sogowan bit back.

He viciously slammed his massive fist in Jason's stomach. Being beaten up was one thing but by a Mantrin? Jason almost collapsed to the ground with the first blow but managed to keep himself standing. He retched in pain clamping his stomach. The strength of these Mantrins was incredible and he knew he would never be able to win this fight. He tried to defend himself but they were just too strong. There was practically nothing he could do when they started to beat him up. The thought of using his phaser crossed his mind and the urge became stronger with each crippling blow but that was just a wrong thing to do. In essence, these Mantrins were still just children and he was not going to use a phaser to shoot children. Almost each time another fist hit him he could hear the breaking of bones. They broke several of his ribs, his left shoulder, his left wrist and several other bones. The punches were among the most powerful of all species but the Mantrin's vicious claws caused major wounds wherever they hit his skin. Especially the girl relied on her claws and it didn't take long before the blood trickled down his face from numerous wounds. They ripped his uniform and the intense burning feeling as her fiery slashes ripped his skin and cut his flesh made him scream in pain. The little fight he and his fellow Cadets had with the Nausicans was nothing compared to this. At least then they had been able to fight back. This just wasn't a fight because he couldn't do anything against this cowardly attack. Eventually he collapsed to the ground without a single drop of strength in his battered body left and coughed up blood. The only thing he still had left was his pain. Even now he was lying on the paved road they kept hitting him.

"I'm gonna die, if they don't stop" he thought.

He had never felt so much pain in his entire life. They had probably broken more than half of the bones in his body and he was losing a lot of blood from the wounds their claws caused.

"No, this is not how it's going to end. This is not how Captain Jason Pierce is going to lose his life" he thought unable to move.

When they finally stopped trying to kill him, the last thing he heard was Kero's voice just before he lost consciousness.

"Stop it! Right now!" the Prince roared in anger.

Even with the limited amount of light available, his Mantrin eyes were well able to distinguish the three teenage Mantrins beating up a human figure in the darkness of an alley.

"And who are you if I may…" the bigger Sogowan wanted to ask.

They had finally stopped beating up the Starfleet Captain who was lying motionless on the paved road and directed their attention to the newcomers. Kero glanced at Jason with a look of concern on his face. He was well aware of his species incredible strength compared to others and judging by his state, Captain Pierce was in desperate need of medical attention. Blood was already starting to form a small puddle under his head from the numerous cuts and deeper wounds his attackers had caused with their claws. He walked up to Jason as fast as his large legs could carry him to take pity on the wounded man. The large Sogowan boy immediately broke of his sentence when he recognized Kero and fell on one knee. He was barely able to speak another word.

"P…P…Prince K…Kero" he stuttered.

The other followed their leader and did as he did but weren't able to say anything. Kero's crew as well as Korso, Brian and Chrysta entered the alley and prevented the teenagers from leaving. Chrysta ran as fast as she could to her Captain in fear for his life. Kero lifted the Starfleet Captain from the ground and carried him in his large strong arms. Blood from the wounds on several places of his body and face stained his uniform shirt but he didn't care. Beating up the children could get him into serious trouble so he started to talk.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing right now" he said trying to control the anger he felt coming up in his chest.

He glared down his muzzle at the three children. The oldest of the three tried to explain.

"I…I…didn't know that he was with you your Eminence" he brought out with a helplessly shaking voice.

"What in Kirliya's name has gotten into you guys?" he asked his voice shaking with anger and thumping with his tail on the ground.

All three were silent now, not being able to find a valid reason to commit such an act of cowardness. Kero shook his head.

"Three Mantrins against one human. I can hardly call that an even fight. And you wanna call yourselves warriors one day?! You should be deeply ashamed of yourselves!" he barked.

Chrysta jumped up at his sudden outburst. Yelling was a strong point of these creatures and Kero surely knew how to raise his voice. Suddenly the oldest of the three sobbed and started to cry. The one who had presented himself as the leader of the small group started to cry like a young child. His shoulders started to shake uncontrollably and he just let the tears roll over his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry" he said not being able to come up with something better.

"We are way past sorry now" Kero replied remaining relentless.

"You have just committed a serious crime. Do you three know that you are endangering the Empire?!" he yelled.

"Do you know this could be considered an act of war by some species?"

Chrysta who had come to assist her Captain in any way possible checked up on Jason lying in the Prince's arms.

"Kero, his pulse is very weak. We have to do something quick."

The human woman looked at him in fear for her CO's life and Kero realized that he had deal with the situation quickly.

"Rilas, could you please take care of these children?"

"Of course sir" Rilas replied.

The Sogowan Commander signaled the children that they could get up and escorted them back to their homes.

"Your parents will hear more of this incident" Kero called after the children when his First Officer brought them back home.

Kero took firm steps on their way to the palace with Jason in his strong arms. Stith who was walking next to her Captain could clearly see the anger on his face. Jason was still unconscious from the pain and blood loss. Stith was really feeling sorry for the Starfleet Captain. On the holodeck he had expressed his admiration for her beautiful homeworld and the city of Ta'keth and that he wanted to see it with his own eyes one day. Now that he finally got to see it, he got beaten up by the citizens of the very same city. Luckily it wasn't far to the palace anymore and the physician would be able to take excellent care of his injuries. With the gates already in sight, Stith hoped that he would make a quick recovery.

The older Orketh doctor was still up late when a mixed group of humans and Mantrins including Prince Kero himself who was carrying the victim entered his infirmary.

"That must have been one hell of a fight" he thought by himself unaware that it had just been caused by children of his species.

"Lay him down on the bed" he ordered grabbing all kinds of equipment together to provide the necessary treatment.

Kero carefully placed the severely injured and still unconscious human Captain on one of the biobeds.

"Look what they've done to you" he muttered under his breath.

"You are such a kind person."

The Starfleet Captain had dried up blood all over his face and in his brown hair. The remains of his Starfleet uniform covered his broken body. Kero looked at the Federation officer with a sad expression on his face. The man had even considered him a friend. From now on he would probably look at him in a different way. He looked at his claws, realizing that the blood of an innocent person and a friend of him stuck to his hands. He quickly wiped them off on his already dirty uniform. He stepped back and let the doctor perform his work to help the injured human.

"I don't have much experience with humans" he explained while performing a scan of the Captain's body.

"But you should be able to assist me where needed."

The Orketh doctor started to treat Jason, healing his wounds and constantly repositioning the bone regenerator to repair all the internal damage. Because of amount of bones the three Mantrins had broken he eventually got a second bone regenerator to speed up the healing process. The others assisting the doctor silently followed his instructions and only spoke when necessary. Eventually Rilas returned and told Kero that the children would be taken care of.

"I have never seen parents this angry" he told his Captain.

"It had probably something to do with their children being taken home by an Imperial officer but still. I actually feared from the oldest boy's life when his mother came outside. By Kirliya, that Mantrinesse was angry. And the father of that girl smacked her in the face when I stood on the doorstep with her. He assured me that she would be punished severely."

Kero nodded indicating that he was satisfied with Rilas' solution. All of this activity in the middle of the night couldn't get unnoticed and eventually the Emperor himself entered the infirmary. Kero's mother The'lah followed her husband because she also wanted to know why they headed straight for the infirmary instead of the throne hall.

"What happened?" Zahn asked flattening an ear.

But when he noticed the wounded human on the biobed he was shocked. Korso nudged Chrysta and fell on one knee after which she and Brian did the same. Zahn noticed and poured them a friendly smile, so did The'lah.

"Please, a friend of my son is a friend of mine. You are more than welcome in my house and you don't have to bow."

"Thank you, your Eminence" Korso replied getting up.

Zahn glanced at the Starfleet Captain with a look of concern on his face.

"I was afraid this was going to happen" he said scratching his ear.

"Father" Kero said approaching him.

"Kero, my son. What happened out there?" Zahn asked when he saw Kero's blood-stained uniform.

"They were just children father" Kero explained.

"They just beat him up. Because he's human or something."

Zahn shook his head.

"I've heard some rumors that some of us are opposed to the alliance but I never thought that they would take things so literally."

He paused.

"The young people nowadays are adopting their parents' opinions and take them too literally and then eventually things like this happen."

The doctor was almost finished treating Jason's external injuries and cleaning him up a bit when the human man regained consciousness. Jason groaned in pain and coughed violently.

"Shhh, easy, easy" the Mantrin doctor replied.

"You've lost a lot of blood and broken a lot of bones. Please remain still while I'll look up something to give you for the pain."

The doctor grabbed a hypospray and filled the device with the correct human dosage of a mild sedative after which he injected Jason with the drug.

"Thanks" Jason whispered when the drug began to subdue the pain.

A moment later he looked into the bright blue eyes of the Emperor himself.

"Your Eminence, the Emperor" he whispered.

"I wished we could have met under different circumstances."

Zahn smiled faintly.

"Spare your strength. Jason is your name isn't it? Kero told me about you. You actually helped the humans to rebuild their homeworld."

Jason smiled back.

"I merely provided them with the necessary technology, they did it all by themselves."

He coughed again and closed his eyes against the sudden burst of pain.

"Forgive me."

"There is no need for you to apologize" Zahn replied placing his large clawed hand on the man's shoulder.

"I should. I had no idea that members of my own species could be so violent against people like you. I assure you that they will be dealt with accordingly. I can only hope that this incident won't damage the relationship between our two people."

The Emperor looked sincere and Jason was not going to endanger the alliance with these creatures. They were valuable allies and they needed the Mantrins on their side if they were going to oppose the Machines.

"Don't worry your Eminence, we will remain allies, no matter what happens."

He felt another stab of pain and curled up on the bed.

"You should rest" Zahn said softly.

"Rest assured. You are in good hands now. No one in this palace is going to hurt you."

"Thank you sir" Jason replied.

Another large Mantrinesse, probably Zahn's wife, he thought joined them at the bed.

"I'm The'lah" she said with her warm voice and friendly twinkling blue eyes.

"Ma'am" Jason replied with a very slight nod.

"Don't worry young man, our doctor will have you back on your feet in no time" she said.

Jason gave her another thankful look. He was barely able to keep his eyes open when he was caught into a wave of sudden tiredness.

"Go to sleep" The'lah whispered.

She dragged her husband with her leaving him alone. Her friendly face was replaced by Chrysta's. She was worried about him and was probably near crying.

"I'm so sorry sir, I should have been with you" she said with a trembling lower lip.

"I doubt there is much you could have done" he whispered with his eyes half closed.

Korso grabbed her by her shoulders.

"He needs rest" he said.

"See if I can make a recovery overnight" Jason said with a faint laugh.

"Now you can see for yourself Joseph. I'm not some superhuman. I'm an ordinary human being just like you."

Jason yawned weakly and turned around on his other side.

"I think I'm going to sleep. I'll see guys tomorrow."

The doctor worked Korso and Chrysta out with a gentle push.

"Out, out, out" he said.

"My patient needs rest. I'm not making promises that he'll be fit for duty by tomorrow but it'll be even more compromised if you keep tiring him like this. Come on."

The doctor took a warm blanket out of one of the closets and placed it over the Starfleet Captain who had already gone to sleep. The Mantrin physician closed the white curtains surrounding the bed and dimmed the lights. The only light around Jason's bed was coming from the blue beam of the bone regenerator and some of the monitoring equipment connected to his vital functions. Chrysta left sickbay but not without one last look over her shoulder at her recovering Captain.

"Rest assured Captain, you are in good hands" she whispered.

Something warm and wet itched on her right cheek. When she wiped it off she noticed that the remains of a tear gleamed on the back of her hand.

"Look at me" she thought when she followed the others.

Kero was probably taking them to guest rooms to spend the night.

"I'm so worried about him that I let my feelings get in the way of more important things."

She knew that this had nothing to do with love. After all Jason was a married man but she wouldn't forgive herself if something happened to him because of her. Suddenly Korso flung an arm around her shoulder.

"I know what you're thinking" he said.

"It's not your fault."

"That would probably be true but I should have stayed with him at all times during an away mission. I failed to attend to my duties as First Officer."

Korso held still and so did the others when they noticed what was happening.

"Don't talk like that, you have been through a lot with him. You can't just give up after something went wrong."

Another tear rolled down her cheek but was wiped off by Stith suddenly standing next to her who started to cheer her up in a typical Mantrin way.

"What is this?" she asked on a rather harsh tone while wiping the tear off between her clawed fingers.

"What do you mean?" Chrysta asked sadly.

Stith sunk through her knees until she was at equal height with the human woman.

"Listen to me" Stith said.

"Life isn't easy. My life hasn't been easy. You can't just give up when things get rough. You are blaming yourself for things that aren't you fault!"

The Mantrin had spoken to her at a harsh tone but she knew Stith meant it right.

"In life things go wrong and it depends on your own mental strength how you're able to deal with those things. You are an officer aboard a starship so you have to be strong because a lot of other people depend on you. Come on, wipe off those tears and show me what you're made of!"

Chrysta did as she said and screwed up her courage.

"You're right, I'm behaving like a child!" she said with a firm voice.

"That's more like it" Stith replied crossing her arms.

Her voice softened and she shortly embraced the human woman.

"It's okay to cry sometimes but only when it's necessary. C'mon let's get some rest."

Chrysta followed Kero to a guest room where she took off her clothes and freshed herself up a bit. After that she climbed into the bed that was actually far too large for a human. With Stith's encouraging words in the back of her mind she closed her eyes and aided by the soft and warm bed actually made for a species far larger then hers she fell into a deep satisfied sleep.


	30. Chapter 28 A Warrior's Life

**A Warrior's Life**

The warming rays of the rising Sogowan sun crept up the walls of the palace until they eventually reached one of the windows of the sickbay where they felt inside the building. Eventually the sun had reached the point where its rays had reached a certain angle where they felt precisely on Jason's face through a slit between the curtains surrounding the bed. He softly groaned when the sudden burst of light entered his eyes when he opened them. It was late in the morning and he had slept well. The first thing he tried when he woke up was to move the parts of his body that had still been broken last night. It all still felt a bit cramped and his head still slightly hurt but it looked like the medical technology did its work once again. Trying out the different parts of his body as if it were the first time he was using them, the Orketh doctor entered his infirmary to check up on his patient.

"I see everything has healed quite nicely" the older Mantrin muttered when he stuck his head between the white curtains.

"How do you feel?"

Jason quickly hid his half naked body under the blanket. He was only wearing his blood-stained underwear but when he realized that the doctor knew about this he relaxed.

"Like a shuttlecraft landed on my head" he chuckled while burying his face in his hands.

"I'm in need of a hot shower."

The doctor laughed. Jason wished the Mantrin a good morning and asked him for something to wear.

"Ah yes" the doctor replied.

He handed Jason clothes that turned out to be a brand new Starfleet uniform. A new combadge was lying on top of the small pile.

"Chrysta got up early this morning and contacted your ship to get you a new uniform."

Jason thankfully took the new clothes and placed them on the bed in front of him. The doctor told him that he could make use of the bathroom inside the infirmary to clean himself up. After the Orketh doctor granted Jason some privacy he performed his regular morning routine inside the huge bathroom designed for Mantrins. He took a long hot shower to help his healed body relax, brushed his teeth using sonic technology and removed his facial hair with a special tool. Because Mantrins, with the exception of the Fjetahna race, didn't have any body hair, shaving was something practically unknown to them so he had to do it in a slightly different way than he was used to. Dressed up like a Starfleet officer he left the bathroom adding the finishing touch by placing the shiny combadge on his new uniform. He thanked the doctor and asked for directions before leaving the infirmary. He didn't knew exactly where the others were but could give him some direction.

"Pierce to Commander Winter" he said activating his combadge.

"Captain, if you are looking for us, we are in the throne hall one level higher" Chrysta's friendly voice replied.

"It shouldn't be difficult to find."

"Thanks, I'm coming."

"Brother Kero, I was contacted by the Imperial Guard and they told me to escort you and the human visitors to the training grounds."

Rajah had really changed since the last time he was here. The aggressive unusual black-skinned Mantrin of the Goureg race he called his brother was preparing himself to become the next Emperor. Zahn was still going to rule the Empire for several more years to come but Rajah had to be prepared to take over at any time in case the Emperor might suddenly no longer being able to perform his duties. Rajah seemed so more relaxed and less hostile towards him then before, like he were a completely different Mantrin, yet the uniform of the Elite Assault Force told otherwise. His brother was part of a group of the best warriors in the Empire and he would certainly show that when challenged.

"Thanks Rajah, I'm curious to find out where you are actually heading when you are on duty."

Rajah smirked showing his sharp teeth.

"Oh, you are going to see things you can't even imagine" he whispered mysteriously.

When Jason entered the room he noticed his First officer together with Korso and Brian outside on a large balcony enjoying the magnificent view of the city. Kero was talking to another black Mantrin he didn't recognize but the different uniform the Mantrin wore indicated he represented a different organization then the Imperial Guard. The black Mantrin with the scarred face and golden earring in the lobe of his left ear gave him a suspicious look but relaxed when he recognized the Starfleet uniform.

"Jason, I don't believe you have met my brother Rajah" Kero said cheerfully introducing his brother.

"I believe that would be Prince Rajah" Jason replied falling on one knee to show respect for the other Mantrin Prince. Rajah smiled faintly.

"You don't have to bow for me Captain Pierce. You don't even have to bow for my father so it wouldn't be appropriate from me to expect that from you" he said at a calm tone.

"Call me Rajah by the way" he grunted.

"Thank you Rajah" Jason replied.

He stood up and smoothed the wrinkles out of his uniform. Rajah replied with a slight nod.

"If you would like to excuse us for a moment brother?" Kero said.

"Of course" Rajah replied joining the others on the balcony under the warm sun that was climbing higher and higher into Sogowa's clear sky.

Kero walked up to Jason with his ears drooped down. The sad expression on his face betrayed what he was going to talk about. Kero held still in front of the Starfleet Captain before he spoke.

"Jason, I'm so sorry about what happened to you. I should have payed more attention to what you were doing" Kero said sadly glaring down his muzzle at the Starfleet Captain.

"No need to apologize Kero, it was my own stupid fault" Jason replied not placing any blame on the Prince.

"I was way too curious about your people's culture and I should have known better then to just wonder off in some alien city on my own. I'm not blaming you about what happened and I promise you that this incident will not damage the relationship between our two people. I already promised that to your father."

Kero's ears returned to their original happy position and his sharp-toothed smile reappeared on his face.

"I'm glad I was worried for nothing. Shall we have breakfast? My brother wants to leave as soon as possible."

"Sounds good to me" Jason replied with a laugh feeling his empty stomach.

After breakfast the guests were given a few minutes to pack what little belongings they had brought with them and headed down. Rajah had arranged two aircabs that would take them to the spaceport at a quick and efficient way. This fast flying form of transportation was used by the citizens of the city to help them reach their destination faster. This version of the aircab had no roof so a gentle breeze blew through the interior on their short flight to the spaceport. During breakfast, Rajah had informed the others that he would fly them to the training grounds of the EAF by himself because the things they were going to see wouldn't be shared with others under normal circumstances.

The aircabs landed on the tarmac of the small spaceport outside the city where a small atmospheric shuttle with the markings of the Mantrin Elite Assault Force was standing by for takeoff. The aircabs took off immediately after they disembarked. Rajah boarded the shuttle first after confirming his identity with the lonely guard at the hatch. The Goureg Mantrin was carrying a large black armored soldier's backpack with the EAF logo on it. The others carried what little luggage they needed for a few days with them and buried all of it away in a storage compartment in the back of the shuttle. Rajah's large clawed feet thumping on the metal deckplating was accompanied by the ticking of his sharp claws. He dropped the reinforced backpack to the floor with a heavy clang and took his place in the pilot's seat in front of the relatively large shuttle designed by Mantrin standards and powered up its primary propulsion systems and the simplified version of the life-support system. This shuttle wasn't designed for space flight but the air could get a little thin at higher altitudes and this system allowed the passengers to breathe normally under these circumstances.

"Everyone on board?" Rajah's heavy voice bellowed through the shuttle's interior.

Kero took the co-pilot's seat next to his brother while the others installed themselves on the backseats.

"We're ready to go brother" Kero answered his question.

Rajah's claws danced over the control panel and the small ships' thrusters pushed the craft into the air. He brought the ship up to a certain safe height and up to speed before he engaged to autopilot. Rajah explained that this was one of the EAF's standard atmospheric transport shuttles slightly modified with an advanced autopilot system that could take the craft to the correct coordinates of their base of operations. None of the passengers would be able to track where they were going because this shuttle's transponder had been modified to conceal it from most sensors and the flightroute wouldn't be logged into the craft's computer system. Both the human and Mantrin passengers had deactivated their communications devices on Rajah's request after warning their respective ships because everything they were going to see had to remain top secret.

"No one talks" Rajah had said while laying a finger on the tip of his muzzle.

For the next couple of minutes all they did was glaring out of the ship's windows to view Sogowa's landscape. The outstretched forests and jungles where regularly interrupted by small lakes, sea's and rivers. Kero had lived almost his entire life in and around the city and rarely been to other places before he joined the Imperial Guard. Sogowa featured numerous other cities, although not as big as Ta'keth, each governed by their own subordinate of the Emperor himself. He had heard the stories of the many primitive tribes of Mantrins that still lived in these forests, living in complete harmony with nature. Some of these primitive Mantrins left their tribes to seek a modern life in one of the cities but he had also heard rumors about people who did the exact opposite.

"It certainly has its advantages" he thought.

"Endless freedom, no worries."

A few moments later when Kero looked at his brother he noticed that Rajah had brought himself in some kind of trance, a moment of complete relaxation. His eyes were closed and his arms crossed and his breathing was very constant and controlled.

"How long is this going to take?" Stith asked impatient as she was.

She and Rilas were sitting on the same row in the back of the shuttle in front of Korso and Brian who were in turn sitting in front of the two Starfleet officers.

"Brother?" Kero asked softly actually not wanting to disturb him.

"Almost" Rajah grumbled without moving or opening his eyes.

Kero tried to figure out how his brother could know this. He had lost track of directions long ago and they seemed to be flying for hours above the middle of nowhere, although he knew it couldn't be more than two hours at most. Eventually he noticed that the shuttle gently changed course and headed in the direction of some higher grass overgrown hills a few kilometers ahead. Kero gazed into the distance, his sharp eyesight being able to distinguish some artificial structures partially build against these hills and on the terrain surrounding them.

"Is that…" he begun.

Rajah finally opened his eyes and positively answered his unspoken question.

"Those are the training grounds and the base of operations of the Elite Assault Force. I advice that you all brace yourselves" he said in a mysterious way.

_**Authors note: Music track 21.**_

Rajah took over the helm controls again and disengaged the auto-pilot.

"There is a dampening-field covering this entire area so if someone or something was tracking you, to them it would look like you completely disappeared from sensors. No one is able to find this place under normal conditions."

The black-skinned Goureg landed the shuttle next to some others of the same design on a small platform build against one of the hills surrounding a training ground where a large group of heavily armed Mantrin warriors performed their training routine.

"Leave your luggage inside the shuttle, it'll be taken care off later" Rajah instructed grabbing his backpack.

Upon disembarking the occupants were immediately inspected by two soldiers, a Sogowan and one of the more rare Noctre race wearing full body armor and packed with various weapons. They didn't say a word until after the inspection. Rajah opened his backpack and handed one of the soldiers a holoscroll. After confirming the contents of the digital document and the official seals of the Emperor and the Imperial High Command the soldier gave it back to Rajah and both of them started to walk back over a small path leading to the compound.

"If you wanna follow us" one of them grumbled.

The odd group of humans and Mantrins silently followed the Mantrin soldiers to the command center of the compound where they would probably meet the Mantrin in charge of this organization. Jason was fascinated by the Mantrins down on the training ground busy with their training.

"What are they doing there?" he asked Rajah who was busy reinstalling the backpack to its original position.

"That is Commander Otrin" Rajah explained pointing at a huge Mantrin in charge of operations down there who was currently roaring orders at his soldiers.

"He is the best there is but he's not very friendly so stay with me if we're gonna meet him since that is something that's certainly gonna happen."

The Mantrins on the training ground were wearing full combat gear and were busy with all kinds of tactical operations like crawling through mud and firing at targets down range and all around them. The sound of powerful energy rifles discharging dominated the area. The thought of meeting one of these creatures on the battlefield on the opposite side was something that made Jason shiver. A gentle breeze blew between the hills and over the terrains that made up the base of the Elite Assault Force troops and the afternoon sun stood high in Sogowa's clear sky.

The small group of humans and Mantrins entered the base via a small structure partially embedded into the large grass-overgrown hill next to the training ground. Upon closer inspection it turned out that this particular one was just an entrance covered by huge metal blast doors unlike most of the other buildings which were extensions of the base itself. There were more of these structures build into this hill interconnected by a network of corridors that formed the base of operations of the Imperial Elite Assault Force. Only a few separate structures had been build entirely in the open on a terrain next to the training ground. The entire base was completely surrounded by powerful energy fences to keep out any animals or tribe Mantrins living in the forests. Everyone remained completely silent from the moment they entered the base through large sliding metal blast doors. The sound of the humans' footsteps could barely be heard above the thumps of the heavy Mantrin footsteps accompanied by the ticking and scratching of claws on the metal floor. The well lit corridor was entirely made of metal giving the whole scene a cold and unfriendly look. They walked past several rooms, test sites and laboratories where the EAF was probably developing new weapons en technologies for warfare. Following in the soldiers' footsteps they eventually walked past a large hall where through a large transparent wall they could see Mantrin warriors in training sitting in front of consoles with helmets that covered their eyes on their heads. They seemed to be doing something with their minds. Everyone had the same question in the back of their mind no one dared to ask.

"What were they doing here?"

Judging by the amount of optical wires and tiny lights blinking on and off on the helmets it looked like they were doing something with neural interfaces. Jason had a nasty premonition about this and even the others, including the non-EAF Mantrins held their breath when they realized what they were doing here. Kero couldn't believe that his species was doing things like this in secret. Because his brother wasn't allowed to talk about what happened when he was on a mission or needed on the compound, he had never known exactly what the Imperial Elite Assault Force did. He thought that they were just a special force to be used for the hardest of missions but they were testing experimental technologies and weapons here. Even Stith and Rilas were looking at each other with the astonishment just dripping from their faces. The Mantrins down there in that hall were trying to improve themselves instead of their equipment to become better warriors. After they passed this area they reached a T-junction where they could go up. A large elevator designed for Mantrins brought the entire group up to the command center of the complex. Even while standing in this particular elevator designed for Mantrin physiology nobody spoke a word. Jason's nasty premonition still lasted and he definitely wanted some answers about what they were doing here.

When they elevator stopped they had reached a large command structure that was probably build on top of the hill from where they had an excellent view of the surrounding forests through large windows completely surrounding the command center. The walls were entirely made of glass and a few high-ranking Mantrin EAF officers were sitting behind half round rows of consoles to coordinate all operations inside the base. The Mantrin officer guiding them saluted and greeted the Mantrin in charge of this entire operation. "General Mithras, we have brought the visitors directly to you as ordered" the Sogowan of the two spoke with a loud voice. General Mithras was a rather large example of the rare Porlau race that was related to the Ryrjhii in the fact that this race also wasn't native to Mantra. His race was smaller than the Ryrjhii but with the same armyish green color. He turned around with a cranky expression on his scarred face and the lighter spots on his belly were characteristic for him.

"Humans!" he growled pointing at the members of the group from the other species.

Chrysta did a step back without noticing herself. A bit of fear flashed over her face when this rather angry looking creature growled at them. Rajah however reacted very calmly and stepped over to his superior to hand him a holoscroll. The General took a quick look at the holoscroll to find out who was responsible for allowing these humans into his base and to do what. When he noticed the official seal of both the Imperial High Command and the Emperor himself he grumbled in an annoyed way and passed the device on to one of his subordinates. Apparently he didn't agree with the decision to let humans enter this top-secret military base without notifying him first.

"What's the point in having a secret military base if anyone can just enter without asking me?" he growled.

"The Emperor himself has granted you access to all of our research facilities to synthesize a quantum-based virus to eliminate the AI" the officer that received the holoscroll stated.

He looked at the small group of humans and Mantrins.

"A small team of our best soldiers is going to deliver that virus to Aridanis IV."

"Sir! We are ordered to grant them our full cooperation during this entire mission. That includes the humans."

Mithras growled in annoyance.

"Then so be it! But I'm afraid you'll have to wait until tomorrow. All of our laboratories are in use at the moment and there's no way we can make one available right now."

"Understood sir" Rajah replied.

The General suddenly went serious about the whole thing and walked over the small group. He was even more frightening while standing in front them this way, aggressively whipping his thick muscular tail and snorting heavily.

"Let me make a few things clear" he said viciously.

"During your staying at this base you're falling under our rule. That means, communication with the outside world will only take place using our secured com. centers so no one will be able to trace the signal back to our location. Secondly, this is a secret military base, that means no one talks about what you're going to see here. And finally, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here during the entire operation, I can't have everyone just walking in and out. This is NOT a hotel, so that means that we'll make no difference between regular soldiers or Captains or Princes. You'll sleep in the standard soldiers bunks just like everyone else. Everyone who does not obey these rules will have their memory purged and being thrown out! IS THAT CLEAR?!" he roared.

He glared down his long muzzle at the group who hastily accepted his rules. The human woman didn't even have the courage to look up to him. She was now almost hiding behind her Captain's back in fear. Somehow, the sight of her being afraid satisfied him.

"Rajah! I'll leave them to you! Don't make me regret that decision!"

"No sir! I won't sir!" Rajah replied making himself as tall as possible by straightening his back.

Mithras' voice suddenly softened.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked the scared Chrysta.

Chrysta was indeed scared of him. She felt the sweat running down from her armpits and she was nervously playing with her fingers from the moment he had turned around to face them. All she did was nod back at the General who sneered back at her.

"You should be!" he roared.

"Now stop wasting my time and get out of here!"

He fiercely turned his back towards them his tail leaving a dent in the metal base of one of the consoles when it slammed against it. Korso knew for sure that this Mantrin probably had been through a lot of battles while working his way up to his current position and wouldn't hesitate to give his life for his Empire. That was something that all of these Mantrins here would do. They would fight till their last breath.

When they were standing in the large elevator that brought them down, away from the command deck nobody spoke a word. The entire place even seemed alien to the other Mantrins except Rajah. The two soldiers who had accompanied them to the command center had stayed behind so they were relying on Kero's brother for navigation through the complex. It was the Mantrin with the backpack who broke the silence between them.

"You have probably noticed that the people here are not the friendliest types around" he said in general.

"Most of these warriors have nothing besides the Empire to live for and wouldn't hesitate to give their lives for missions like this."

He turned his torso around to face the others.

"We are the elite. We don't fear death and we choose to devote our lives to the field of battle, for Emperor and Empire."

"I would rather not lose you brother" Kero replied with his ears in a drooped down position knowing that this was something that could certainly happen at any time.

With this war going on, the Empire would rely on these soldiers. Being an officer aboard an Imperial starship also involved danger but these warriors would only be send on missions others would consider suicide. Rajah however merely smirked and closed his bright blue eyes.

"Hmm, I'm not planning on dying any time soon" he assured his older brother.

"I still have to become the next Emperor remember? But enough about our lives. Since we'll have to wait until tomorrow, I'll show you the base and some of our research first. After that I'll show you where you'll sleep for the upcoming days and we'll meet with Commander Otrin. We have to put a team together that is going to deliver our little present to the heart of the Machine Dominion."

The others agreed and all of them were glad that they would be getting some answers on their questions, especially the question of: What exactly are they doing here? Jason's nasty premonition was still present in the back of his mind and he could only hope that he was wrong about this. The things the unusual black-skinned Goureg was going to show them would determine if that would be the case.

The first thing Rajah showed them was the hall they had walked past earlier. The Mantrins that had been busy with their neural training before were gone and the hall was deserted and half dark. Rajah entered the room via an automatic metal sliding door next to the large window in the back through which they entered on a small balcony with railing. A small stairs provided access to the actual lower level where everything took place. Rajah guided them down to this level where he held still in front one of the shimmering consoles that were now powered down. The odd looking helmet with the wires and lights was placed in a holder. The others formed a half circle around Kero's brother so that he could finally explain what this was all about. Rajah placed his hand on the nearby console before he spoke.

"This is the neural training center. By putting on one of those helmets, the participants make direct contact with the computer using only their mind. A neural transceiver in their brain is used to establish this direct link. When the interface is established they begin on an extensive training program which consists of various tests, training and learning programs. For example, a program that is used often is a test that helps us to quicken our reaction time which is very important in real life combat."

Brian raised an eyebrow.

"So you also have one of those…" he said pointing at the side of his head.

"Yep, I have one of those neural transceivers too" Rajah answered his unfinished question.

Rajah noticed how his brother's beak dropped open for a second.

"It's a vital component in our training. If the Empire decides to develop a new kind of vehicle or ship we are able to fully master it's controls by just a few minutes of neural training. It's far more efficient than to spend weeks trying to fly the real thing. I can pilot any known type of ship or vehicle because of this thing. Any questions?"

Everyone was astonished. No one knew that the Empire had access to such advanced technologies.

"Is either the Emperor or the Imperial High Command aware of these things?" Stith asked.

"There are certain things they know, there are certain things they don't know" Rajah simply said while shrugging his massive shoulders.

"But they are aware of our training techniques and they have been fully approved by both."

"Isn't it dangerous to use these things?" Rilas asked.

"It's completely safe and no one has ever been involved in an accident while using one of these. But, we cannot guarantee the well-being of the user's brain if someone decides to sabotage this device."

He paused.

"Shall I show you how it works?"

Some of them nodded while others didn't seem to have an opinion about the matter. Rajah however dropped his backpack to the metal floor with a clang and took place behind the first console and the hardware softly whirred when he powered up the computer system. The large interactive viewscreens and statusdisplays in front of the Mantrin lightened up and spread their faint shine over his scarred face giving him a creepy look in the dimly lit hall. Rajah carefully removed the delicate helmet from its holder and placed it on his head so that it covered his bright blue eyes. The dangling wires coming from the helmet were beginning to lighten up with pulsating glows as they started to process the data exchanged between Rajah's brain and the computer.

"What shall we do today?" Rajah said out loud.

The others formed a half circle behind the Goureg. Rajah was very calm and relaxed and fully concentrating on the images projected into his mind by the computer. His breathing was controlled and his shoulders were hanging in a relaxed position as he rested his heavily muscled arms on his upper leg segments. The others could see what he saw in his mind on the screens in front of him. From the menu's that showed up on the screens with lists of various training programs, Kero's brother picked one designated as battlefield training program 3A.

"Highest difficulty, timeframe thirty seconds" Rajah mumbled.

When the program started he could see himself standing on a field of battle on an artificially created planet. In his mind he was currently holding the standard weapon used by the EAF, a class four multi-purpose tactical pulse rifle capable of firing pulses or sustained bursts. It had eight different settings, ranging from light stun to total disintegration and even a special training mode that would put the weapon on one one-thousandth of its maximum output. In this mode the soldiers were even able to fight a real battle against each other without sustaining any serious injury. A slight burning sensation was the only thing they felt if a pulse in this mode made contact with the skin. On the real version of the weapon, an exographic targeting sensor in direct contact with the neural link interface in their brain would be used to pick their enemies. This handy piece of technology would cover one eye and display all kinds of information and cover several different viewing modes like infrared, thermal, nightvision and sharpening and zooming in on the target but since this was only a simulation it wasn't needed now.

The muzzle of this weapon was currently aimed at a tree-line in the middle of a densely packed artificial forest and it was set at level 6 which meant instant death to most enemies. A forest that as he knew from the program was filled with enemy's waiting to make their kill. On the viewscreens in front of him the others could see everything his mind saw in the simulation and could monitor his heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels in his blood stream in real time. A small green Mantrin skull in the lower right corner of both the viewscreen and his artificial field of vision suddenly turned red indicating the simulation had started.

The first enemy immediately showed up firing a blaster of some type. Rajah's virtual version of himself quickly dove behind one of the trees and fired his own weapon to take him out. After this guy numerous enemies of a diversity of different species including his own each one armed with different kinds of weapons started attacking him from all sides. With so many different enemies it was a far more realistic experience because in real combat you'll never know what you'll be up against. The two opponents closest two him resembled an Akrennian and a member of his own species. The Mantrin was armed with a blaster and the Akrennian with two long razor-sharp blades. In his mind he called them 'gun' and 'knife' and decided to kill 'gun' first because he posed a bigger threat at distances. He let himself fall down on the ground and fired his weapon. The shot was aimed at 'guns' chest but the virtual Mantrin tried to evade the shot and he hit the shoulder which didn't kill him instantly. 'Gun' fired back but his aim was off and he hit the tree Rajah used as cover. Pieces of the disintegrating bark spread in all directions while Rajah quickly got up and fired his own weapon again, this time hitting 'gun' where he wanted to hit him in the first place finishing him off. In the mean time 'knife' had gotten a lot closer and attacked him making a scissor movement with both of his blades in an attempt to cut his artificial head off. Rajah let himself drop to the ground again and send his massive right foot into the Akrennian's ribcage sending him flying through the air against a tree in the opposite direction. If this were a real battle he had already broken every rib in his body and the unpleasantly realistic sound of breaking bones when the virtual body of the alien hit the tree indicated that he had also broken his back killing him in an instant. All of this had happened in only a fraction of a second. He finished off the other enemies coming from various directions in more or less the same way, sometimes killing a few in a row using his weapon and sometimes simply using his body as a tool of assassination. Because of their massive strength, vicious claws and in his case extensive training, a Mantrin was very well capable of killing using only his body and he made an excellent example of how to use these abilities at his best.

The spectators standing behind him and following every move he made on the viewscreens were dumbfounded. Rajah's reaction time was well below the regular of most known species and what was noticeable was that the Mantrin remained almost perfectly calm for the most part. The readings that indicated his vital signs had risen only slightly since the program was active. This seemed perfectly logical since his body wasn't active but this way of training was certainly exhausting for the mind. After exactly thirty seconds the simulation ended and left an only slightly panting Rajah sitting in front of the statusdisplays. The screens showed his name on the twelfth place on a list with a total of all warriors who had currently been practicing with this program with sixty one kills and only one small virtual injury on his left leg. Rajah's breathing quickly returned to normal as he took of the helmet and carefully placed it back in the holder. His eyes glided over the viewscreens.

"Not bad" he mumbled.

"Not bad?" Stith exclaimed.

"You just killed more than sixty enemies in thirty seconds and you call it 'not bad'?!" she openly said in disbelief.

"I could've always done better, otherwise I would have shown up on the first place" Rajah said shrugging.

He stood up from the small chair and turned off the hardware. He lifted the heavy armored backpack off the metal floor and headed back the same way as they had entered.

"Let me drop off this first" he said holding the backpack in the air with one strong arm.

"Then I'll show you more."

While following the younger Prince to his bunk, the entire group started to whisper about what they had just witnessed.

"Unbelievable" Stith whispered to Kero and Rilas.

"Did one of you know the Empire had access to this kind of technology?" she asked.

Both of them shook their heads, their ears flapping around lazily. The group of humans started to whisper too.

"What do you think Captain?" Chrysta asked.

"I've heard of technologies similar to this before but Starfleet doesn't approve of them."

Korso and Brian moved closer to the Starfleet officers so that they could hear what Jason had to say.

"A neural transceiver is an extremely delicate piece of equipment and can come in very handy when properly used. But this technology also involves the risk that someone can exploit its capabilities to cause harm."

The amazed expression on Jason's face changed to a worried one.

"I can only hope that they know what they're doing."

Before Rajah showed them the rest of the compound, the younger Prince first decided to drop off his backpack and show them their place to sleep. He stopped by the soldiers' bunks and dropped by his own before continuing while the others waited in the corridor outside. A large section of the partially underground compound was divided into rooms where the soldiers would spend the night. Each room was a small space without windows with just four bunks, two on each side from the entrance view and a small storage compartment in the back for equipment and uniforms. Washing took place in a more centralized space and everyone headed for the large mess hall if they wanted something to eat. Each soldier shared this space with three others and Rajah was greeted by his bunkmates who were currently having their break between training sessions. He entering the dimly lit room through an automatic slide door he opened by slamming on a button. He was greeted by three Mantrin faces, two males and one female. Their eyes gleamed in the dimmed light and his sharp hearing picked up purring sounds from the first bunk on the right where two Mantrins were currently sharing a single space. The lonely male, a Sogowan pricked his ears and looked up from his, for a human roomy bunk and smiled showing his sharp teeth when Rajah entered.

"Rajah! You're back, how's it going? I take it that the General was angry?"

Just like Rajah he was still a soldier in his young ages and quite eager to pick up a weapon and shoot something. He was lying on his back on the bed playing with a vibro-blade, his large triple jointed legs a bit folded up against each other.

"The General is always angry" the female, also a Sogowan lying on top of the other male Mantrin answered his second question.

She was lying with her head on his chest with her right arm dangling over the edge of the bed and her voice had a bored undertone. The second male was another Goureg just like Rajah and probably her boyfriend since he was busy tickling her ears with his large tongue while resting his large arms on her body and making soft purring sounds. The other end of the bed they currently shared was an odd plaiting of legs and tails.

"I'm fine" Rajah replied walking over to the storage compartment in the back without paying much attention to the others.

He tossed his backpack with a heavy clang next to some other stuff from his bunkmates in what little space they had to share and snorted.

"Really? You don't look very happy" the male Sogowan continued flattening an ear.

He slit the vibro-blade back in the sheath on his right middle leg segment and got up from his lying position. Rajah turned his head to face him and sighed.

"Freyu, why don't you just shut up? Your big mouth has got you into trouble before."

"Wow, someone's pissed" Freyu replied a bit amused wearing off Rajah's words with his clawed hands.

He stood up from his bunk letting his arms fall beside him.

"Hey, I can't help that Otrin is always picking on me" he said shrugging.

"Hmm, how could that be?" Rajah scoffed inaudible preparing to leave the room.

"Hey is it true that you brought humans to the base? I've never seen a human in real before. Is it true that they're so tiny? I wish I could have seen the look on General Mithras' face when they…"

"Freyu shut up!" all of them interrupted his stream of words simultaneously.

Freyu flicked an ear.

"Tsss, forgive me for having a little interest in your situation. I only wanted to help" he replied crossing his arms and looking deeply indignant.

"Now if you want to excuse me, I need to have a wee."

Freyu left the room with a last whip of his tail leaving Rajah behind with a look of disapproval on his face. Only about a second later he heard the Sogowan almost yelling in excitement.

"By Kirliya, these humans are really small!" his astonished voice sounded from outside the room.

Rajah slammed himself on the forehead and groaned.

"Oh no, I forgot that they were still standing there waiting for me" he said a bit miserable.

"Are they?" the female Sogowan replied looking up from her friend's chest with some genuine interest in her voice.

"Let's have a look then" she said getting up from the bed disentangling her legs and tail from the male's but not without giving him one last lick on his left cheek.

The other male finally looked up like he saw Rajah for the first time now.

"Hi Raj' how's it going?" he asked with a very low voice.

"Good, until now" Rajah replied a bit sarcastic.

He headed on his way to stop Freyu from bombing the human delegation with questions which was something that had probably already happened since the Sogowan had a little trouble controlling his tongue. The other Goureg was only about an inch shorter then Rajah was when standing and because of his large legs and heavily muscled body, that was still considerably larger than the average human. The Sogowan Mantrinesse was a tad smaller than him but practically equally sized to Stith. They both trailed Rajah when he stepped into the corridor to meet up with the others again.

Freyu, as expected was studying the humans from every aspect as if he was trying to find an explanation for their small size compared to Mantrins. When he recognized Kero he stopped and sunk on one knee, slightly bowing for the other Prince.

"I see that we also have the pleasure of welcoming the other Prince to our base. I'm Freyu by the way" he said with both his ears flat on his head.

Rajah sighed when he saw the Sogowan on the ground bowing in front of his older brother. As always, Kero wore it off and asked him friendly to get up again.

"Thank you, your Eminence" Freyu replied getting up on his feet again.

His nails scratched over the metal floor. Before Freyu could say more he was pulled back and worked out of the corridor by Rajah.

"You have to excuse my friend here. He talks an awful lot and it's not always appreciated" he said having a bit of trouble pulling the struggling Mantrin away from them.

Freyu pulled himself loose, smoothed his wrinkled uniform and snorted.

"I only wanted to be polite" he said a bit aggravated heading on his way to the bathroom.

"Don't pee over your tail like last time!" the Sogowan Mantrinesse teased.

Freyu turned around with both ears flattened and an angry expression on his face.

"I didn't pee over my tail! That was just…"

He growled and snorted heavily.

"Forget it! I told you a dozen times!"

Rajah and the rest of his bunkmates laughed and so did the others who were caught in their laughter. It was a stupid joke about something that happened not so long ago. Freyu had come back from the bathroom with a wet tail. They knew it was probably just water and that it was almost impossible for a Mantrin to pee over his own tail but someone made a remark to the dissatisfaction of Freyu that he didn't want to admit that he somehow peed over his own tail. They teased him about it ever since only to get him angry and to make him shut his beak. The Sogowan female and her boyfriend who were also observing the humans introduced themselves to them and the Mantrins wearing the other uniform as Trezka and Itàn. After some time and some explanation about what they were doing here a short loud alarm rang indicated that the break was over.

"So soon" Trezka grumbled.

"Oh, c'mon, lets shoot something" the pugnacious Itàn exclaimed already smelling the thrill of battle.

The Goureg was always in for a fight no matter what time it was. He checked the weapons in his sheaths and holsters and found out he still missed something after which he returned to the room to collect whatever it was. Freyu finally returned, a little late for his doing.

"Are we already going yet? I was just on my way to the mess to get a little snack when that blasted alarm sounded."

"Let's go" Trezka encouraged the others.

"Aren't you comin' Rajah?" she asked.

"I was given a special assignment to show the humans the compound and prepare a few things for tomorrow."

Trezka shrugged her massive shoulders and headed on her way with Itàn and Freyu on her tail. More Mantrin warriors coming from the other bunks were called to battle and shot a quick glance at the humans when they walked by, most of them flattening an ear as they did.

"I almost feel like a caged animal in a zoo" Korso whispered to his First.

Brian smiled.

"I think I like that Freyu guy" he chuckled when the corridor fell silent again.

Rajah signaled them that they could follow him again and showed them their places to sleep. The bunks were very roomy for humans of course and they didn't have any trouble with it. It was a different story for the Mantrins, especially Kero who was having a bit of trouble fitting his large legs into the, for him, rather small space. It took him some time to find a comfortable sleeping position when he tried the bed and after a lot of snorting, grumbling and growling he finally got it right, more or less.

"Satisfied?" Rajah asked sticking his head around the corner of the human bunk.

The Starfleet officers had taken the left bunks while Korso and Brian shared the right two.

"Fine with me" Korso replied finding out for himself how large the thing exactly was for a human.

Rajah nodded one time with a soft grumble and checked up how the Imperial Guard Mantrins were doing in the other room. His brother had tried to wriggle his way out to find a comfortable position to spend the night.

"How do you guys do this?" he asked not being able to understand how in Kirliya's name one could sleep I such a small space.

"Hmm, you'll get used to it" Rajah simply said.

"Try it this way Kero" Stith said showing him how she figured it out.

She was lying on her side with her legs a bit folded up against her body. Kero tried it for himself and noticed that it was better, much better. Rilas who was beating with his tail against the wall in annoyance tried the same thing and it worked out for him too. After everyone was ready Rajah turned over to the next item on the list. Of course there was still much more to see.


	31. Chapter 29 Plan of Attack

**Plan of Attack**

"Cale where are you?" a bored Akima spoke to her wristcom..

With the ship locked to its position on the spaceport just outside Ta'keth and the Captain on an away mission, there really wasn't much to do for now. Apart from some regular maintenance work and some almost empty entries in a not so exciting log the entire crew took the opportunity to do something not related to duty or the ongoing war. Regularly taking your mind off things was something to help the crew relax in between shifts and prevent them from getting overworked. Akima had completely lost track of time when she had taken a small nap in her quarters and hastily got back to work when she realized it was already late in the afternoon. Trying to find out what happened in the mean time while she was away, she rushed through the well lit and redesigned corridors of the new Republican starship _Valkyrie_ trying to find Cale. Admiral Xilrai had promised to contact them and provide each ship with the intel the warships he had dispatched had collected. Cale's three-dimensional image appeared above the small holo-emitter on her wristcom.. A tiny figure resembling Gune was standing next to the holographic recreation of her fiancé when he answered.

"I'm on the holodeck with Gune working on a way to get a team down on that planet."

Akima had expected that Cale would be relaxing in his quarters. He had complained a lot about the 'tons of work' as a member of the council back on the new Earth and he had taken every opportunity to get a little rest but apparently he also thought of this as a pressing matter and she couldn't agree more. She actually felt a bit angry at herself about the fact that she had been sleeping in her quarters while Cale was actually working on the plan that had to succeed in order to save the Galaxy from utter destruction by a vicious alien race of intelligent machines.

"I'd take it that Admiral Xilrai sent you the necessary data to construct a holographic model of what we're up against?" she asked while quickening her pace since she now knew what she was heading for.

"Wait a sec. I'm almost there" she added deactivating the comlink when she stepped around the last corner.

The small screen near the holodeck door displayed that a program was running but that it was safe to enter. After pressing a small button near the metal sliding door she found herself standing in what was probably the holographic recreation of a fairly large strategic center. The walls were covered with shimmering viewscreens and consoles displaying various types of information and the entire program had a professional look. The lighting in the virtual room was slightly dimmed giving the entire place a bit of an ominous look. But the most impressive thing in the entire room was probably the huge projection of a virtual three-dimensional tactical overlay of mainly Aridanis IV, its five moons and all of its artificial surroundings. Tiny recreations of Machine ships patrolled the system and what shocked Akima was the amount of shipyards surrounding this single planet. Each planet of the total of seven worlds surrounding the small blue Aridanis sun had some type of defense or detection system that acted as an early warning system for inbound vessels but the entire region around Aridanis IV was filled with the spiky shapes of shipyards. What looked like spiky footballs from a distance were actually a collection of dockingarms and spacedocks of adaptable size connected to a central superstructure.

The Machines were really cranking up their production of ships and at this rate it wouldn't take long before their force would be sufficiently replenished to attack the inner systems of the Akrennian Empire and possibly Akrennia itself. From what they had learned from the officer currently in command of the orbiting _Highlander_ is that the Machines had taken over the Xirosa system at the edge of Akrennian space and were now possibly preparing for a major push into their territory. Literally thousands of ships had been used to take over the Xirosa system and the Federation/Denali reinforcement had been long from enough to allow the Akrennians to hold the system. Plans of retaking Xirosa hadn't been made official yet but the Akrennian Military Command would certainly want their territory back and it probably wouldn't take long for them to come up with some plan to get it done. "It looks impressive" Akima complemented walking over to Cale and Gune when the door automatically closed behind her with a soft hissing sound. Cale and the small alien scientist were still making small adjustments to the overlay consulting with each other and rotating and moving the projection by moving their hands into the virtual map, making all kinds of different movements with their fingers to move, zoom in and out and add or take stuff.

"Oh, hi Akima" Cale greeted her triumphantly when he noticed her on the other side of the room through the projection.

"Welcome Akima" Gune said softly.

"This is a new project made by Cale and myself. It's not finished yet but it will be soon" he said jumping up and down in excitement.

"You got that right Gune" Cale replied making another adjustment.

Akima couldn't keep her eyes of the virtual image of the planet. The fertile soil of this flourishing world had sprouted a lot of forests judging by the amount of green that covered almost eighty percent of the surface and the remaining twenty percent was taken by the blue of water partially spreading over the green marble in the form of rivers and small sea's like a giant network of birth giving veins. The idea of the Mantrins to establish a colony on this developing world was a good one if it hadn't been taken by those mechanical monsters. Akima assumed position next to the busy Cale and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Cale, how long have you been working on this? Isn't it about time for you to take a break? You shouldn't be the only one working" she said feeling a bit guilty about it.

"That's okay Akima" Cale replied adding the finishing touches to the recreation.

"To answer your questions, I've been working on it together with our brilliant scientist here for a little over four hours and to be honest, I'm actually enjoying it. I was looking forward to playing with this technology for some time now."

Gune chuckled under his complement and stepped back together with Cale and Akima to admire the creation from a slight distance.

"Computer, activate simulation Aridanis IV alpha" Cale said.

The computer beeped in affirmation and the planet began to resume its normal rotation around its axis and the blue Aridanis sun together with its accompanying satellites.

"Okay let's start working on solving the problem" Cale explained assuming a position closer to the recreation of the planet and its surroundings.

"Can you guys fill me in a bit?" Akima asked.

Cale first pointed at the small shimmering recreations of the Machine ships patrolling the entire system.

"The first thing we have to deal with is the amount of patrols in the system. Evading them will be difficult but not impossible" Cale said determinately.

"Once we reach the area surrounding the fourth and most heavily guarded planet things are gonna get much harder. We have confirmation that the AI controlling the entire Machine Dominion in our universe is holding up on the surface of Aridanis IV in a massive complex."

Akima looked up at Cale, her face a mixture of astonishment and worry.

"How are we ever going to be able to get in there and destroy it?" she asked in disbelief.

"Who says they don't have an entire army of robotic minions down there?"

Cale face showed signs of uncertainty for a moment but those disappeared immediately after a new plan formed itself in the deepest reaches of his mind.

"The energy signatures coming from that single source are high enough to assume that the complex houses a massive fusion-based power system. The amount of power being produced down there in one day is the equivalent of the energy needed to sustain a middle-sized civilization for a whole year. Something is draining massive amounts of power."

"And?" Akima asked unsure what he was getting at.

"We're going to modify the virus to do two things. One, it will infect and destroy the AI from the inside out. Two, we program it to trigger an explosion inside the main power core so we can be certain that everything is completely eradicated."

Akima raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Her eyes switched a few times between the recreation of the planet and its creator Cale.

"Okay, you have a great plan for the virus, be sure to send the specifications to Xilrai so he can inform the EAF. But still, how are we going to get it down there?"

Cale rubbed his lower jaw where a light beard was beginning to form. The rough texture of the short blonde hairs growing out of his chin grated over his the inside of his hand made him realize that he hadn't shaved himself for almost three days now.

"They have small monitoring stations build on the surface of each of the five moons. There is no way we can evade all of their scans so we have to take one of them out if we want to get into transporter range of the planet."

"Yeah, but when one of their little listening posts suddenly stops transmitting we'll immediately have three dozen warships on our tail" Akima scoffed.

After having spoken so little during Cale's thinking out loud, Gune's brilliant mind had quietly come up with a solution for this particular problem. The little alien scientist stepped up closer to Cale and Akima and told them what he thought was the right course of action.

"Maybe Gune can send a modified signal to them that will tell them to look the other way for a moment" he almost whispered.

"You think you can do that Gune?" Cale asked.

"Of course Gune can do it!" Gune replied with a raised voice like Cale was questioning his abilities.

Gune had been a solver of problems his entire life and accusing him of not being able to solve a problem was like accusing a Captain that he wasn't able to command his ship. The Grepoan's voice lowered quickly to its normal volume like he was almost scared of his own sudden outburst.

"Gune is pretty sure he is able to do it but he needs some time" he added almost whispering.

Cale smiled slightly knowing that the alien wouldn't fail him if they were gonna do it for real. He turned his attention to the computer simulation of planet again with renewed determination.

"Okay, imagine us, in our little cloaked ship; a team of heavily armed Mantrin warriors on board" he said with a sinister voice.

"We have made it to the inner ring of the planet, the space between the moons and the planet's upper atmosphere."

Akima looked at her boyfriend with amusement and bit of disapproval on her face.

"Cale we can skip the narrating part and get to the point. What kind of defenses do they have in this area?"

Cale was suddenly mister serious himself and pointed at some small artificial structures orbiting the planet.

"They also have an orbital detection grid. We've gotta disable one of those satellites too because there isn't a single opening in the grid that's open for long enough to get a transporter beam through."

Cale looked aside at the little alien genius again. Gune smiled sheepishly like he wanted to warn Cale not to ask again if he were able to do that too.

"Okay, that's clear then" Cale answered his own question.

"If we can get something through that last grid we can land those pugnacious guys safely on the surface. The only remaining problem that we can't solve is the high-powered dampening field spanning a radius of approximately fifty kilometers around the compound. The team has to walk at least this distance to reach their goal. Once they move under the field, communication is impossible and their's no way we can get them out if they happen to run into too much trouble down there."

Akima sighed. This mission was beginning to look more and more like suicide for those Mantrins. From what she had seen from her friend Stith, every Mantrin was a formidable natural-born warrior and the Elite Assault Force were the most highly trained warriors in the entire Empire but she was beginning to doubt if this mission would prove even too much from them. They had a lot of disadvantages to cope up with and there was a considerable amount of uncalculated risks involved. But as Xilrai had said before, these guys got the missions everyone else considered suicide and this one would certainly prove their cunning.

"Okay we've got something that's beginning to look like a plan of attack. Something that can be used as some sort of briefing for those guys. Let's present it to the High Command" she decided heading for the bridge.

"I'll contact the other ships as well" she added hastily slipping around the corner when the automatic door was only half opened.

"Let's save this first" Cale muttered under his breath addressing the computer to save a copy of the simulation on a portable datastorage device.

"So what do you think Guney, are we gonna make it?" Cale asked the alien who was standing with his hands in his pockets.

"You know what Gune notices about Cale's species?" Gune replied chirpy.

"Humans are always optimistic. Always working on some way to realize things other species can't it."

He chuckled.

"Gune likes that."

Cale gently patted the alien's bald head.

"I'm glad you didn't know me before Gune. I really am."

Unaware that he reminded the young human man of the Vusstran scientist and his foster-father Tek again Gune left the holodeck and headed into the same direction as Akima.

"Where are you Tek?" Cale asked out loud grabbing the data-node out of the slot and tossing it up in front of his eyes a few times.

He left the holodeck whistling a little tune that he vaguely remembered as something Tek had played for him when he was still living with his foster-father. He promised himself that he would find him and his daughter Iji again one day, if it were the last thing he would do.

A few sectors away from Imperial space, the remaining vessels of the dismayed Akrennian fleet all made it safely back to the Vindra system, deeper into their territory. The Vindra system featured more planets then Xirosa and three of them were habitable and inhabited by several different species including Akrennians of course. Some of these species native to these planets had a small militia of their own but it was nothing compared to the Akrennian forces currently occupying and defending the system.

Most Akrennian ships including the Tsun'rhaa had taken a lot of damage in the attack and were very low on armaments. One of the ships officers bearing the name Preed gazed out of one of the starboard windows when he walked past on his way to the Captain's quarters. A group of three worker bees was just busy removing the casing of a damaged warpnacelle of the cruiser lying nearby. A feeling of defeat was lying all over the ranks and most of his fellow officers seeked revenge for what happened although they knew it would soon be virtually impossible, even for their fleet of war to retake the system once the Machines had fortified their position.

Preed had seen their assault fleet composed of thousands of ships with his own eyes and they wouldn't be able to retake Xirosa by a long shot without help. Ayko had ended their shift once they were docked with this facility that was orbiting Vindra II and he was now on its way to her quarters for a reason that was not yet known to him. She had contacted him via a private channel that couldn't be tapped by the com. Officer and told him that she wanted to see him in her own quarters. He knew she liked him so this would probably have something to do with it. Djorath greeted him on his way to her private space and he was beginning to think that his fellow officers were finally beginning to accept him in some way. Even Iyu, the sand-colored Akrennian female that was injured in the attack that had just been dismissed from sickbay nodded in a friendly manor when she walked by heading for her quarters. In some way, he was so happy about it that he realized that he already passed Ayko's quarters without noticing. He walked back and halted in front of the metal sliding door with the logo of the Empire embedded in its surface and pressed the call button on the panel next to it. Immediately after the gentle chime of the doorbell he heard some kind of animal squawking and growling. He heard sharp claws scratching over metal and the sound of his Captain's voice barking over it.

"Jick'chii! Knock it off!" Ayko barked after which he heard a sad howling.

"Oh no, she's got a Krach'thaa" he thought aggravated.

A Krach'thaa was an animal native to Akrennia certain tough examples of his race loved to keep as pets. It looked a bit like a little black pet dragon including the wings and long pointed tail and although they couldn't really fly they could glide pretty well. Their bite was quite toxic and lethal to those who didn't get any help within the next couple of minutes. That's why most owners had their poison-injecting teeth removed though there were examples where these creatures were used as guard animals.

Preed in particular didn't like these creatures and in fact he hated them. He opened the metal door that slit aside with a his and closed automatically behind him. The slender Akrennian woman with the dark-brown skin and shimmering orange eyes was sitting on one of the sofa's in the middle of the pretty large space with her Krach'thaa beside her. She was softly stroking the creature's delicate wings which it seemed to find pleasant since it purred softly. When Preed entered, the creature turned it's tapering face towards him, fixed it's bright yellow eyes on the newcomer and growled softly. Ayko looked up from her pet and stared at Preed, her sharp fangs shimmering in the light of the dimly lit room.

"Computer, increase lighting by fifty percent" she said with her feminine voice.

The room lighted up a bit and Ayko gestured him to come closer and offered him a seat on the second sofa on the opposite of the low round table in between.

"Preed" she almost whispered stretching out his name.

"Yes ma'am" Preed replied with one eye locked on the Krach'thaa that didn't seem to like him.

"Yes, you can drop the formalities now; no one's listening. Take a seat" she said gesturing at the sofa once more.

The Krach'thaa followed every single one of his movements precisely with its bright yellow eyes and bared it's razor-sharp set of teeth to show hostility towards him. Ayko's quarters were very roomy and decorated with various pieces of art related to war and militarism. A small sculpture on a cupboard near the door where he entered caught his attention and so did his Captain notice.

"It belonged to my grandfather" Ayko explained when she noticed him looking at it.

It was a sculpture of an Akrennian warrior in combat gear standing proudly and upright, probably to face either battle or his superiors. He thought it was beautiful and so did Ayko who spoke with pride in her voice.

"It was handcrafted by one of the far ancestors of my clan and he gave it to me when he died. It has been in the clan for generations."

Preed was silent. His clan had never left anything behind. In fact since he left the homeworld he hadn't heard anything from them ever since. But that was probably because of him never trying to contact them and because they probably never wanted to have anything to do with him anymore. And it was all because of his biological father. It was the most stupid thing that could overcome a child. They never meant to have child, he was just an accident.

His real biological father, as he eventually found out had been the Captain of a starship just like Ayko. His father made the gravest mistake of his entire life. Although he was a married man he had slept with a subordinate and tried to cover things up. However the female officer got pregnant of course and Preed was born. Because this child could get him stripped of rank and honor and completely ruin his reputation and life forever they brought the child to a desolate place on the other side of the planet and left him to die. Preed however had a natural-born talent for surviving and he was found by members of another clan who rescued him and raised him as their own child. He had lived in relative comfort, was loved by his foster-parents and eventually joined for a career in the military. Unfortunately for him, someone eventually tried to find out who his real parents were and everything came out of course. He was kicked out of the military and his clan and had no place to live. He was only seventeen when it happened. He had wandered through the galaxy, hitchhiking with freighters who happened to go to some place where he could find work and a place to stay. It had been this way for a few years until he eventually met Korso. That was his past and he feared that Ayko would do the same as his foster-parents when she found out.

"Are you okay?" Ayko's voice woke him up from his thoughts.

Her sharp voice startled him a bit.

"Huh? I'm sorry Captain" Preed hastily apologized.

"You seemed lightyears away for a while" Ayko said looking slightly suspicious with one ear flattened.

She stood up from the sofa and headed towards a small kitchen in the back of her quarters.

"Let me get some refreshments" she said when she walked by.

The Krach'thaa began staring at him with its bright yellow eyes and hopped down from the sofa with a soft squeal and a whip of its delicate semi-transparent wings. The small dragon-like creature slowly approached him baring it's sharp teeth that would normally contain a lethal poison. Preed couldn't be sure if Ayko was an owner that hadn't removed the poison-injecting teeth but he suspected her to do not. So he kept staring back at the Krach'thaa, who still crouched lowly over the floor towards him, scratching the metal with its sharp three-fingered claws. The creature softly growled and sunk lowly on its forepaws, if it was about to attack. It was only three inches away from his right boot made of thick leather and Preed wondered if it's jaws were powerful enough to punch through the material into the soft flesh of his foot. Jick'chii decided to test it out for him and began gnawing on his right boot. Preed thought of Ayko's pet as most annoying and would have planted that same boot right into its snout if it hadn't meant that his Captain would throw him straight out of the nearest airlock when she found out he hurt her beloved pet.

"I hate you" Preed grumbled between his teeth when he tried to pull his boot free from the animal's strong jaws.

The Krach'thaa however didn't let go and used his fluttering wings as extra thrust.

"Ehmm Captain?" Preed asked choosing the safe solution.

Ayko just happened to come back with two tall glasses of Akrennian ale in both her hands. She kept standing to observe what her beloved Jick'chii was currently undertaking.

"Jick'chii!" she hissed sharply.

The dragon-like animal immediately let go of Preed's boot and let out a soft howling after which it returned to its original position on the other sofa. It curled up and kept it's yellow eyes fixed on Preed from behind it's clawed forepaws. Instead of returning to her original seat, Ayko decided to take the space next to her officer.

"Jick'chii didn't fully trust this guy either so he must have some kind of secret" she thought nipping from the light green beverage in her glass before she set hers down next to Preed's.

"Careful with my sweet Jick'chii" she said a bit amused resting her body on the left armrest.

"I haven't removed her poison-injecting teeth so my quarters will be your final resting place if she decides to take bite."

The tall brown-skinned Akrennian woman smiled. Preed now knew for certain that he was attracted to her. Her gorgeous face, strong will and well-build body without the loss of her feminine features were qualities that had made her to what she was. A female warrior that feared nothing and was as beautiful as she was deadly. However that strong will triggered her to ask the question he feared most from her.

"Tell me something about you Preed" she said without losing him from her eyesight.

"How did you end up on that human planet anyway?"

Preed's mind switched to its highest gear.

"What should I do? Just tell her the truth? No, she would kill him if she found out about it. Make something up?"

He decided to go for the last one and quickly made something up about some kind of business deal that had gone wrong and that he had lost everything but himself. He told her that the human planet was the only refuge he could find before the slave traders might try to sell him for what he was worth. His Captain hadn't said a word when he told the make-up story of his life and did what he feared most when he was finished. She scoffed and looked up.

"So that's you then" she said.

"Too bad it's a lie. Now you can tell me the real thing" she said her eyes flickering dangerously.

Preed sighed deeply.

"He somehow knew she wouldn't fall for this nonsense. She was far too smart to fool that easily."

"Okay, here we go" Preed said sighing again.

He told her everything. About his biological father, having a secret relationship with his subordinate. About living with a clan that was never really his own. About the discovery of the scandal and his ramble through the galaxy, trying to make the best out of what he had. And that was very little at that moment. Now and then, Ayko nodded slightly, or mumbled or made other signs to show that she was interested in his backstory and that she was following every word. When he finally finished the story with him trying to betray his former crewmates for money which completely failed and ending up as the low-life on the new Earth Ayko remained silent for a moment. The good thing was that she hadn't pulled a knife, yet, but her facial expression didn't tell him that she wasn't planning on ending his life so he remained on guard in case he needed to defend himself. However if she was planning to kill him it would certainly happen since there was no way of getting off this ship without having to fight a couple of dozen crewmembers loyal to her.

"It wasn't your fault" she eventually said.

"You have laid the most miserable life I've ever heard off and you're lucky to be free and alive. You are really the courageous guy a saw you for."

Her aggressive orange eyes found his and a spark of love jumped over between them. Preed smiled weakly. At least she wasn't going to kill him and even Jick'chii seemed to relax now that her owner trusted this person. The Krach'thaa contentedly closed her eyes and fell asleep while her owner moved up closer to her new friend.

"It was stupid of you to betray your own friends" she said.

"But you saw a chance and you took it. In your position I probably would have done the same."

"Without failing of course" she added with a laugh making fun of him.

If there was one thing Preed had learned from his dark and violent past, it was that you could trust nobody. He never fully trusted anyone and so didn't he fully trust Ayko. Having a relationship with this woman would prove to be a very dangerous undertaking but as he had done before so many times he took his chances.

"Thanks, but if I could get a second chance I don't think I would have tried again."

"You're probably right" Ayko replied.

"Don't turn everyone that could pass on for a friend into an enemy."

"A good advice Captain" Preed replied nipping from his glass of Akrennian ale.

The slight sweet taste of the green liquid filled his mouth and the warming sensation of the alcohol slit down his throat. This was the good stuff. Ayko probably kept a few good bottles in her quarters for special occasions.

"What's about that Mantrin anyway? It looked like something happened between the two of you" she said referring to Stith.

"Who Stith?" Preed replied.

"Lovely girl. I tried to express my feelings for her but it didn't work out" he replied rather laconic.

Ayko scoffed.

"I fail to see what's so attractive about those cantankerous creatures. I don't have anything against them in common, despite our hostile relationship in the past but I certainly don't wanna get involved into a romantic relationship with one of them. It'll probably get you killed."

She paused and scoffed.

"What would happen if a Mantrin and an Akrennian decided to have children? A Mantrennian? That's disgusting!"

"Well she has certain feminine features that…"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Ayko hissed making Preed startle.

"I only wanted to know if you had something together. She wasn't particularly fond of you when she mentioned the time she served with you. But enough about it."

"What about you?" Preed asked getting a little more confidence.

Ayko seemed to like him so his tongue started to loosen up a bit.

"Who me?" Ayko laughed flicking an ear.

"I've been the spoiled rich girl since I was born. My father is an Admiral in the Military Command and as he expected from me when I was young I joined the military as soon as possible. We lived in the most expensive district in the entire town and I never had any problems. But no one's life is perfect."

She paused.

"I had a short relationship with some guy. He was actually rather cute" she said thinking about her former boyfriend.

"Someday he left me for some other girl" she growled.

"Don't know what he saw in her. Anyway, I killed him" she said shrugging.

The way she said it made it look as ordinary as replacing a broken power relais. It made Preed realize how dangerous she actually was but as long as he stayed with her he probably had nothing to fear from her. In fact, he liked it when Ayko crept up closer to him and leaned with her back on his shoulder. He had to adjust to the fact that this was actually his Captain, the fearsome woman he experienced down on that icy planet. He was silent for another moment until Ayko's now soft voice woke him up again.

"You're drifting away again" she said amused.

She looked up from her lying position, the edges of her long upstanding ears tickling in his neck.

"Don't be so stiff, c'mon have a little fun with me" she said amused.

She turned around and rested her head on his chest. She sounded so different now, almost sweet and he flung her arm around her shoulder making contact with her smooth dark-brown skin. He felt the touch of her warm breath of his skin and tried to forget about his difficult past and look towards a future with her. Letting go of all the doubts that had nested in his mind he closed his eyes and brought his mouth closer to hers until their lips finally touched.

"You're really special" he whispered.

"Shut up" she replied.

Both Akrennians locked together into a passionate kiss that would have made Stith vomit if she could see it. Completely forgetting about the Mantrin he had chased after for so long, Preed engaged into a fiery relationship with his new girlfriend and Captain, unsure what the future would bring them.


	32. Chapter 30 The Ultimate Warrior

**The Ultimate Warrior**

Deep inside the military complex of the Imperial Elite Assault Force, Prince Rajah was leading the small group composed of humans and the Mantrins of the Imperial Guard to one of the large weapons testing facilities in a more isolated part of the underground base. Still surrounded by the metal walls and floor of the well-lit corridors of the secret base, the group followed in Rajah's thumping footsteps fascinated by what they had seen so far. The testing of new weapons took place in a more isolated part of the base since possible hazards could be contained more easily and to muffle the sound of the explosions or other destructive effects caused by the various new and experimental types of ammunition. Stith in particular could hardly wait for the upcoming part of the tour. Weapons were her area of expertise and she was always looking for something new to try out. She was excitedly whipping her tail and wondered what kind of destructive creations they were testing. Since almost everything here was highly experimental, the same thing must apply to the weapons.

About two minutes later Rajah turned around another corner and held still in front of two thick metal blast doors. He checked a small status display near them and figured that they were currently testing the new sonic grenades. A weapon that utilizes the power of high frequency sound to destroy equipment and wreak havoc on enemy lines. When fully optimized the wave of high frequency sound emitted by the grenade would cause the enemy force to spontaneously drop their weapons and grab their ears in pain. Additionally, the wave shatters certain materials making it capable of destroying various kinds of sensitive equipment.

"They are currently testing the sonic grenades" Rajah explained turning around to face the others.

"For our own safety, we have to wear auditory protection before we can enter."

The Mantrin tapped a button on the panel near the screen and a small rack carrying protective headsets extended out of the wall on the right side. The devices completely covered the auditory organs of most species protecting them from the harmful sound waves created by the weapons. Each member of the group took one of them from the rack and places them on their heads so that their ears were completely covered. Rajah removed one side of the device from his right ear.

"Since communication will be a bit difficult, pay close attention to me. Don't touch anything and do not disturb any of the scientists at work."

Rajah repositioned the protective equipment over his ear and pressed a button to open the doors. When the large blast doors shove aside they revealed a fairly large well lit high-tech testing facility filled with equipment. There were two levels. The testing and analyzing the results was done on the far larger lower one while the small upper level could be used as a place where the scientists could take a break or gather for a meeting. Several Mantrin scientists were working on the grenades themselves, studying collected data on screens from earlier tests or making preparations to perform the next one. All of them were wearing auditory protection and something that could be called a lab coat. One of them, possibly the one in charge of the current operation approached Rajah and asked him what they were doing here. The protective device was hanging around his neck and he told Rajah that they could remove theirs as well for now. The Mantrin of the Orketh race flattened an ear when he noticed the humans among the members of his own race.

"Humans?" he asked more like stating a fact then asking a question.

"They are here to program a virus that will put an end to the Machine threat once and for all" Rajah explained keeping it straight to the point.

"A lab will be free by tomorrow and till then, well, we have to wait, so in the mean time I'll show them what we are working on here."

The Orketh scientist snorted and guided Rajah and the others to three large cabins in the left corner of the lower level were the actual testing took place. In the left one of the three cabins, various objects, like plates of different types of metal, glass and outdated but still functional equipment were placed to test the effects of the weapon and two scientists had just finished installing another test version of the weapon inside. The grenade itself was a small spherical container with four blinking lights on it. The color of these lights indicated its status.

"This is one of the finalized versions of the weapon" the scientist explained.

"This is going to be the definite version but the only problem we haven't corrected yet is a way to control its yield. Sometimes it's too weak while the other time its way too strong but we think we have it under control now."

"Well let's find out then" one of the Mantrins installing the weapon replied while closing the reinforced transparent door.

His partner activated all of the cabins internal sensors to collect all the telemetry and double-checked everything before tapping a few virtual buttons on a screen next to the cabin. An acoustic alarm went off accompanied by a female voice that explained the reason of the alarm.

"Preparing for weapons test. All personnel apply your auditory protection so this message is no longer audible."

All the attendants did as instructed by the computer voice and the scientists readied every piece of equipment for the incoming telemetry. The Mantrin standing near the door of the cabin looked at his superior who was accompanying the Goureg Prince and the others. His superior gave the all clear signal after which he commenced the test. Stith shuffled closer to the door trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside. Hooking every function to a final button, the scientist pressed it after which the grenade was remotely armed. Jason had a bad feeling about this. This was highly experimental technology and Starfleet had never come up with something like this. He picked up that controlling the yield of the weapon was difficult so this test was rather risky. Hoping that the protective equipment would shield his auditory organs against permanent damage he watched as the four white lights on the side of the metal sphere turned red and blinked faster and faster.

This version had a five second delay before detonation and after the fifth second he vaguely heard a high-pitched beep in his ears after which he witnessed how the glass plate inside shattered, the equipment burned out and some of the materials cracked and split into pieces. Everything seemed to be okay until the Mantrin next to the door stepped back and waved with his arms to indicate that something went wrong.

"That can't be a good thing" Korso thought looking at his First Officer who was obviously thinking the same.

Everyone stepped away from the testing chamber as cracks appeared in the transparent window of the cabin's door. In a fraction of a second the material shattered sending pieces into all directions and releasing the destructive sound waves into the contained area of the lab. The high-pitched screech of the weapon increased in volume and if they hadn't been wearing the protective headsets they would certainly be deaf for good by now. Monitors shattered, equipment sparked and burned out and even some of the lights embedded in the ceiling shattered sending a shower of sparks and broken glass down on the attendants leaving them in a now dimly lit room. After the grenade worked out the Orketh Mantrin in charge of the entire operation pulled the protective headset from his ears and signaled that the others could do the same. He looked from the destroyed testing chamber to the remains of the lab with a gruff expression on his face and grumbled something in his own language that was unmistakably a curse word.

"That's what I meant with controlling the yield" he muttered.

"Luckily we wore these" Rajah replied a bit amused pointing at the headset.

"I'm afraid I must ask you all to leave. We have to clean up the mess."

The Mantrin scientist seemed cranky and that wasn't a surprise looking at the damage the grenade had caused to the lab. It would probably take a few days to replace the destroyed equipment and get the lab operational again. Everyone could still hear the after effects of the sonic weapon when they left what once had been a laboratory.

"Still like weapons Stith?" Kero asked prodding in his right ear trying to remove the slightly deaf feeling the weapon had caused.

"Of course, as long as they don't cause harm on me" Stith replied with a smile.

After the blast doors closed again, sealing of the remains of the lab, Rajah opened up the headset compartment again so that the group could hand in the devices.

"That was pretty interesting" Chrysta said handing Kero's brother her headset.

"I'm glad you're enjoying you visit" Rajah replied with a smirk.

"I'm surprised to hear you say that Chrysta" her Captain replied raising an eyebrow.

"It's not that I love to fight Captain" Chrysta explained stroking through her blonde hair.

"It's just that this technology when used in the right way can be used to suppress a group of enemies without causing them harm."

"Well if you put it in that way, it can be an interesting invention" Jason admitted.

"Of course, I kept the best thing until the end" Rajah interrupted their chatter.

"If you want to follow me outside; a special facility is created for our newest and biggest project till now" he said enthusiastically.

Rajah headed back in the direction they came from, his tail playfully whipping from one side to the other with the others trailing him.

"What's wrong Captain?" Korso asked softly, reading the worries off Jason's face. It was as clear as crystal that something was bothering the Starfleet Captain.

"I don't know Joseph. I have a bad feeling about this one. They are experimenting with advanced technology here and I'm certain that Starfleet would not approve of some of the things I've seen. I know we're not allowed to talk about neither this facility nor this organization but it still doesn't feel right."

"Yeah, I know what mean" Korso whispered.

"To tell you the truth, I wouldn't let them put one of those implants in my brain if I could get all the money in the galaxy afterwards."

"Hmm, before I start hackling myself up, let's see if my suspicions are correct."

A few moments later, the small group left the compound through the one of the side entrances and found themselves standing in the afternoon Sogowan sun. A few lonely cotton clouds drifted in the further clear blue sky unable to block any of the warming rays of the single yellow dwarf star. Rajah was guiding them to one of the large separate buildings on the more or less flat terrain surrounding the hill which held the base. The outside of the steel structure they were heading for didn't reveal any of the possible secrets held inside. It's shimmering surface reflected the rays of the sun into all directions and there were no visible windows on this particular building. It looked like someone just put a few basic cubic and spherical shapes together to form a building since it didn't exactly look like anything familiar. The same types of blast doors that sealed off rooms and the entrance of the main compound also formed the front door of this structure. When the black Goureg Prince reached the doors he placed his large clawed hand on a bioscanning pad next to it to confirm his identity. A light blinked green and the metal doors shove aside with a slight rumbling sound.

The inside of the structure looked exactly the same as all the other rooms and corridors they had seen so far. Everything was well-lighted and plated with metal. The room directly after the entrance doors was in essence a small lobby where visitors had to contact the person in charge in order to be allowed to enter. Rajah walked to a small monitor embedded in the wall to contact this particular person. He pressed a call button on the panel and asked for someone called Doctor Galen. The face of a Sogowan Mantrin appeared on the screen who told the Prince that Doctor Galen was not available right now and asked him what he was doing here with a bunch of humans.

"That's not of your concern" Rajah replied a bit aggravated because he was tired of explaining the whole thing over and over again.

"Their visit has been approved by General Mithras himself. Now would you please let us in? I have more to do after this."

Being reluctant to let the group in the Sogowan Mantrin snorted and pressed a button to open the second door leading to a room with a completely white interior end yet another door leading to the actual lab.

"Decontamination" Rajah explained upon seeing all the raised eyebrows and flattened ears from his companions.

"The project we're working on is extremely sensitive for external influence and a single bacterium inside the system can be fatal for the subjects so we try to keep the chances of contamination to a minimum. Step inside please."

The intense white color of the entire chamber hurt their eyes to the point that they wanted to close them. That was something that they eventually had to do since the moment everyone stepped inside the face of the Sogowan Mantrin appeared on the small screen embedded into the wall. He closed the first door and activated the soft disinfecting shower that completely rinsed every exposed part of their body. The disinfectant came out of holes in the ceiling and was fluidic at first but quickly turned into a colorless gaseous form that reached every part of their body, covered by clothing or not. In this way they didn't have to undress themselves to be allowed to enter. When the amount of bacteria and viruses had been decreased to a minimum the gas was quickly drained out of the room and the members of the group found themselves being cleaner than ever.

A few seconds later the third and final door opened revealing the actual lab. The ones that were already impressed with the size of the other laboratories and testing centers they had seen were now amazed to the point that their jaws almost dropped to the floor. It was a huge open area with several levels and area's to perform a specific type of research. Dozens of viewscreens showing schematics and test results added their light to the already well-lit room and a couple of dozen Mantrin scientists were working on their parts of the massive project. Upon entering the group found themselves standing on a large platform connected to some sort of bridge running through the entire length of the room. Lower area's filled with soft whirring equipment flanked the metal bridge and broad metal stairs connected these area's with platforms build against the walls. But the most impressive thing in the entire lab would probably be the massive machine build against the rear wall where the bridge led to. Large suspension capsules filled with a transparent liquid were connected to the machine with all kinds of tubular constructions pumping the stuff in and out of the capsules. But the containments of these capsules were the things that shocked Jason and proved that his suspicions were correct.

Rajah slowly began to lead them to the ominous machine filling the entire rear wall until a rather large Mantrin of the Soneth race climbed one of the stairs on the right side of the bridge blocking their way. A Soneth was basically an Orketh with different colors and patterns on his skin and where Orketh's were chestnut-skinned with black stripes, this Mantrin's skin had traces of a vague red in it and the black stripes on his back reached all the way to his lighter colored underbelly. Apart from his different color, he was certainly rather large for both races. The Mantrin wore something that resembled a lab coat and he was wearing an eyepiece which he lifted from his eye when he approached Rajah with a flattened ear.

"Interesting" he said with a funny but low voice.

He studied the humans from a distance while crossing his muscled arms.

"Would you mind explaining why you brought them here?" he asked Rajah in a bit annoyed way.

He was probably busy with something important since he was thumping with his foot on the floor and nervously whipping his tail.

"Okay guys, this is Doctor Galen, our most brilliant scientist and the Mantrin in charge of the Genesis project."

Galen snorted when the others introduced themselves. He clearly didn't have time to fraternize with these newcomers but nonetheless didn't complain when Rajah asked him to clear things up a bit.

"Genesis?" Jason though looking from the huge machine to the good Doctor in front of him.

"That couldn't be good."

"Genesis…" the Soneth Mantrin said proudly.

"Instead of constantly looking for ways to improve our weapons and combat skills we started to look into a whole different direction. Improving the warrior instead of its weaponry so that warrior will eventually become the weaponry itself."

The scientist spoke very proudly of the project he was leading. The way he said it made it look almost prophetic. Galen started to walk towards the huge machine with the transparent capsules filled with fluids. He couldn't be certain from a distance but when he started to cover that distance Jason knew he had been right all the time. The things he had seen inside the capsules were living beings. In fact, they were normal Mantrins with bodies that couldn't be older than three years, still the age of a young Mantrin child. They had probably been put into these capsules when they were still embryos. The bodies of these Mantrins were connected with all kinds of tubes and wires to keep them artificially alive without the need for nourishment. Jason figured that these creatures aged at an accelerated rate to make them ready for battle in a much shorter time. The ominous look of the motionless bodies with closed eyes and breathing masks covering their beaks, floating in the transparent fluids gave some members of the group the creeps.

"My children" Galen mumbled placing a claw on the nearest cocoon cherishing his creation.

Holding still in front of the row of fourteen capsules on a metal platform in the middle, each one containing the body of a young Mantrin child, Rilas placed his muzzle closer to Stith's ear.

"I don't know what to think of this but I'm certain that guy's nuts" he whispered so that the guy in question couldn't hear his remark.

"I think you're right" Stith replied softly.

Galen turned around slowly to face the group again.

"Genesis" he muttered again.

"What you see here is only the beginning of the next generation of warriors. The techniques of genetic engineering have evolved and have provided access to something I have only dreamed of myself. Rajah, you are one of the few that helped me to reach this level of technology and I want to thank you for it."

"It was a pleasure Doctor" Rajah replied with a smirk.

Kero's beak dropped open for a second. He was glaring down his muzzle for a moment at his slightly smaller brother, the amazement trickling of his face.

"You… You're not going to tell me that…"

Rajah merely smirked baring his teeth.

"I'm sorry brother, but I couldn't tell you. Yes I'm partially genetically engineered."

Kero couldn't quite comprehend what his brother was telling him right now. Was this Mantrin still his brother? Or was he something that had been modified in a lab similar to this one? Kero placed his large clawed hand on Rajah's shoulder and kept trying to find out if this was still his brother from any noticeable differences on the outside.

"What have they done to you?" he asked his voice almost quieting to a whisper.

"Did they enhance his strength? Increased his desire to fight?"

The others were also staring at Rajah now, although not with as much concern as his brother.

"Brother, it's nothing" Rajah replied gently removing Kero's hand.

"My wounds heal fifty percent faster than average, my vision and hearing have been slightly improved, my strength has been increased and I need less sleep. It was all on a voluntarily basis."

"And thanks to you I have perfected the technique and created something that goes far beyond that" Galen added thrilled by the thought of it.

"Modifying genes is something that's best done as soon as possible. My children will not use weapons in battle but they will become the weapon. I've reached a new level in genetic engineering and I call it psycho-kinetics."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. No one actually dared to speak again.

"You cannot be serious" Kero said softly.

"You're trying to create the ultimate warrior" Stith added.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Galen said turning his back towards them to face his creations again.

"In a few months, maybe a few weeks we have the most fearsome warriors within our ranks. They will be able to fight using only their mind. They are vastly superior to anything."

Galen added a laugh that sounded almost malevolent.

"Rilas was right about this guy being nuts" Stith thought.

These Mantrins would soon be able to kill with a single thought and that was something that could prove to be extremely dangerous if they decided to turn against their creators. Jason's biggest fear became reality. The Mantrins were about to make a mistake they had also made on Earth. Genetic engineering had resulted into the Eugenics Wars that killed millions.

"This is wrong" he thought.

"This is wrong" he said out loud now.

The rest of the group looked at him with both agreement and hesitation on their faces. Jason was the first one to speak up about the situation. Galen flicked an ear and turned around to face him with an angry expression on his face.

"What did you say human?" he hissed like Jason had insulted him in the worst way possible.

"This is wrong" Jason repeated.

"You can't just try to recreate your race to make them vastly superior to anything else in the galaxy. The same thing happened on my Earth. One group of genetically engineered people started to think of themselves as superior to others and started a war that killed millions! That's why genetic engineering is forbidden in the entire Federation. To prevent something like this from ever happening again! It's just too dangerous!"

Galen gave him the most venomous look he was capable of and snorted heavily.

"Who says that our race is as weak-minded as those humans?" he retorted with flattened ears.

"Are you telling me that we are weak-minded?" Jason replied as friendly as he still could.

"Whoa, whoa" Kero came in between.

"Stop fighting each other. I'm glad that everyone is trying to find ways to fight this war with the least possible casualties but to be honest, I personally think that there is some truth in the Captain's words."

Kero remained very calm towards both the Starfleet Captain and the angry Soneth.

"Face it human!" Galen growled.

"We are fighting a war against a relentless enemy! These circumstances call for drastic measures! And that is exactly what this is all about!"

Galen crossed his arms to end the discussion but Pierce was convinced that he was right about this particular matter.

"I know we're trying to fight this war with the least possible casualties but don't you think this is a bit too extreme? These warriors could start a civil on their own on your planet all by themselves. The ends simply don't justify the means."

"Quiet human!" Galen replied venomously through gritted teeth.

"The Genesis project will be completed. Now get out of here before I'll do something I'll regret!"

Because Jason didn't want to repeat his last encounter with an angry Mantrin he surrendered. Arguing with these creatures was simply something not very safe to humans. This was another universe on an alien planet where the Federation had nothing to be said against the current order and if these creatures were planning something that could compromise the safety of the entire planet then so be it. He turned his back on the Soneth scientist and wanted to leave the lab immediately but not without one last warning.

"You're making a mistake" he said softly before heading back over the bridge towards the exit.

"Get out!" Galen grumbled one last time before returning to his work.

From the corner of his eye, Jason could see him placing his hand on one of the capsules and muttering something in his own language before returning to his duties.

"This isn't right" a tiny voice in the back of his head kept saying.

From the thumps and ticks of claws on the metal bridge he could tell that the others followed him on his way out. Chrysta joined him on his left without saying anything to her Captain. By Federation law, he was right but the Federation had no power here and she had wisely kept her mouth. Although she had got to known Kero and his friends and crewmates as friendly people, Mantrins still scared her a bit and tried to avoid provoking one of them by any means necessary.

"You shouldn't have done that" Rajah said softly joining Jason on his right.

The Mantrin was understanding about how Jason thought of the whole project but just couldn't disobey orders from his superiors. It was ultimately the General who decided what can and can't happen inside the organization and that's how it was written. They had already reached the entrance of the lab and headed straight outside for the last part of the tour. The meeting with Commander Otrin would actually be the most important because he was the one who had to select his best soldiers to fight their way to the inside of the enemy stronghold.

"I'm sorry" Jason apologized for his outburst against Galen.

They were walking through the decontamination chamber again, squinting their eyes against the sudden presence of the completely white interior. He looked the Goureg in his bright blue eyes, his voice full of conviction.

"But this is wrong. You can't recreate your own race and make them superior to everyone else."

"I know Jason, and I don't fully agree on the whole thing either" Rajah admitted.

He sighed and steered the others into the correct direction towards the training ground where they would meet up with the Field Commander.

"But it's not for us to decide what happens around here and remember, you can't talk with anyone else outside this organization about it."

"I promise Rajah, you have my word as a Starfleet Captain that no one will ever know about the things I've seen here" he said with a sincere voice.

When he noticed he had grabbed Rajah's thick heavily muscled arm he quickly pulled back his hand like he had burned it.

"I'm, sorry. I forgot that Mantrins don't like to be touched."

"Don't worry" Rajah replied nonchalant with a shrug.

"I'm not gonna beat you up or something. My father has specifically instructed me to control my anger."

The Prince sighed and quickened his pace to put some distance between them and the rest of the group so that they couldn't hear what he had to say.

"Last time I got mad, I nearly killed my own brother."

Rajah shook his head and his ears drooped down.

"I can barely remember the things I've said, it is all covered with a big veil of anger. I have such a loving and caring brother but I got so mad, about nothing actually and if Stith wasn't there to stop me I would have killed my own flesh and blood. I already had my knife pressed against his throat."

Rajah growled in frustration and balled his fists.

"Why am I such a jerk?" he hissed between clenched teeth.

Jason very well understood the Mantrin's anger. The short temper of his species was very well known throughout the spiral arm and if one of them lost control in a crowded space, the results wouldn't be very pleasant.

"But the most important thing is that you didn't Rajah" Jason retorted.

"Believe me, if you really wanted to kill him, you would have done it straight away."

"Thanks, but I'm not quite sure of that" the Goureg grumbled.

"Just drop it for now but I recommend that you don't touch the Commander because he's not the sociable type of guy."

"I'll try to remember that" Jason replied with a laugh.

"Just a question, if I did talk to others about the things I've seen here, what happens?"

Rajah looked aside with a look on his face that already warned him about the possible consequences.

"You don't wanna know" he replied evading the answer.

"Enlighten me."

"You'll probably get a team of highly trained assassins after you, killing you and everyone you've been in contact with. So I recommend you keep your mouth shut."

"I'd better do that" Jason laughed after which he went serious.

"You have my word" he assured the Mantrin Prince again.

Behind them, Korso and his First Officer were also engaged into a conversation regarding recent developments.

"I think we should check up on the progress of the others when we head back to the base" Korso said.

"They seem like capable officers, especially Lieutenant Tucker" Brian replied enjoying the view.

The path they were taking over one off the grass overgrown hills allowed them to see the endless waving sea of green surrounding the base on all sides. The EAF headquarters was lying deep into the great forests and jungles of Sogowa Prime. It was a quiet and peaceful surrounding and practically unreachable without a ship and because of the dampening field it was perhaps the perfect location to hide a base.

"Yeah, I admire him too" Korso replied taking firm steps to keep up with the Mantrins.

A few moments later they had reached the entrance of the training grounds were Commander Otrin was drilling his soldiers. He was roaring orders to a whole battalion of warriors standing in rows of ten presenting their weapons.

"This is group B" Rajah explained opening the door in the irregular shaped energy fence surrounding the entire training ground.

"I myself am a member of group A. There are currently only three groups of about hundred soldiers each since we haven't been at war for a couple of years now. The Empire always keeps a small group of soldiers on active duty but that amount is soon about to increase considering the war threatening the entire galaxy."

Commander Otrin was a fairly large Sogowan Mantrin possibly crossed with another race because of his slightly shorter beak. Several scars covered his cranky face and his left ear missed a piece. If there was one Mantrin who lived for the fight it was definitely him. He was wearing the uniform of the Elite Assault Force and he was commanding his soldiers with an iron fist. Those who didn't live up to his expectations would get their ass busted and were send straight back to wherever they came from.

Every race of Mantrin in all sorts, shapes and sizes was represented in his battle group and they were currently about to be dismissed. After a last salute and a 'long live the Empire' the battle group left the training ground, marching in straight rows. All of them shot a stealthy glance at the humans and the Mantrins wearing the red uniform of the Imperial Guard as they walked by.

The cranky Commander was standing with his back towards them, his ears flat on his head, his breathing very calm and relaxed. However that was about to change in the next couple of seconds. His ears flicked when he heard someone approaching him from behind. He slowly turned his head to observe the visitors with one yellow triangular eye. Chrysta, as usual would gladly turn around and head back as quickly as possible when she carefully watched Otrin's hostile behavior but instead seeked protection behind Kero's back.

"Rajah" Otrin slowly said squinting his eyes when he recognized the Mantrin Prince.

"Sir!" Rajah replied firmly while straightening his back to make himself look even taller then he already was.

"What in Kirliya's name have you brought here this time?" Otrin sneered now fully turned his body to face the humans with his arms crossed.

"Sir, the humans are here under my supervision and with the permission of the General, the Imperial High Command and the Emperor himself."

The expression on Otrin's face didn't change and it was almost like if he wanted to accuse the Prince of lying.

"And what do I have to do with it?" he asked firmly thumping with his foot on the soft dirt ground his arms still crossed.

"To successfully carry out the mission that will destroy the enemy presence on Aridanis IV, we need a team of your best soldiers to infiltrate the facility and deliver the quantum virus to the AI."

Otrin flattened an ear.

"And when is the briefing for this 'mission' going to take place, if I may ask?" he muttered.

"A definite briefing hasn't been planned yet sir, a plan of attack will be presented to you by tomorrow morning."

Although Rajah didn't know for certain if the strategists aboard the _Son of the Empire_ or the human ships had come up with some sort of plan, leaving Otrin without any planning would certainly only provoke anger from his side.

"I've heard enough" Otrin prevented further explanation form Rajah's side.

"I cannot put a team together for something that hasn't even been planned. You're dismissed."

"But sir, can't you just…" Otrin wanted to turn his back towards them again but was stopped in his turn by Rajah.

"Soldier! You're dismissed! I'm not going to make decisions based on assumptions! Now get your ass down to wherever you're needed! Move!"

Not further trying to reason with the Commander, Rajah turned around and signaled the others to follow him.

"I told you that he's not very friendly" Rajah said to Jason after he assured himself that they were out of hearing range.

"I bet he's a real small-talker" Jason replied with a smirk.

"Rajah" Korso called catching up with the Mantrin Prince.

"I suggest that we go to a com. center to check up on the others, see if they made any progress."

"Excellent idea. For my own sake I better hope they did because I just told the Commander that we would have a plan by tomorrow morning" Rajah replied thinking about what would happen if they didn't.

Little did he know that he had nothing to worry about.


	33. Chapter 31 The Killing Game

**The Killing Game**

"Great job Cale, I knew you could do it!"

The small group currently found themselves in one of the three large communication centers inside the EAF base. The room was quite large, made out of metal, just like the rest of the base giving it a cold look and filled with powerful communication equipment that had been modified so that no one would be able to track the signal back to its source. The base was located on a secret location and all kinds of measures were taken to keep it that way. The large viewscreen was currently showing the remaining _Valkyrie_ crewmembers. The computer was currently downloading Cale's plan and the entire Aridanis IV simulation to present it tomorrow to Commander Otrin and General Mithras himself. Cale chuckled on his Captain's remark.

"I guess that this was the easy part. You have to work out all the details."

"Is it really that bad?" Korso replied crossing his arms.

From what Cale had told about the enemy blockade around the planet, they were probably gonna need cloaking technology to get through.

"From what I heard from Admiral Xilrai, the place is a hell. Several warriors have lost their lives in order to get this intel. We cannot let it be put to waste."

"They are probably aware that we're up to something" Stith remarked.

"We must act, as soon as possible."

"The longer we wait, the longer we give them the time to tighten their security" Kero added.

"Okay this is how we're going to do it" Korso decided slamming his right fist into the palm of his left hand.

He turned his attention to everyone, including the persons not physically present.

"Tomorrow we are going to synthesize that virus, put a team together to deliver it and finish the plan about how to do it."

"There are so many things that have to be accounted for" Akima standing next to Cale brought in.

"Yeah, even Gune here is going to play an active role in temporarily shutting down enemy defenses."

"Don't worry too much Captain; Gune will take care of it" the alien squawked.

"Thanks for the assurance Gune" Korso replied with a laugh and a slight nod towards the alien scientist on the viewscreen.

"From what I understand there are a lot of unknowns" Rajah said a bit of concern leaking in his voice.

"Otrin probably won't like sending his best soldiers straight to hell."

"You shouldn't worry about it too much Rajah, it's this or nothing. By the way, d'you think it would be possible to set-up a video conference for the provisional briefing tomorrow? It could come in handy if Cale could explain the finer details of his plan himself."

"I think I can arrange somethin'" Rajah replied.

"Then I would say, until tomorrow Cale" Korso dismissed his officer.

After he checked that the download was complete he ended the transmission. He could see the reflection of himself and the others in the large shiny screen now displaying the logo of the Imperial Elite Assault Force wit 'end transmission' underneath. It was this organization and a select group of brave warriors who had to take care of the hardest part of the mission. The mission that would determine the fate of every race in the galaxy and beyond.

In the evening of that same day, most members of the group were already in their bunks because there wasn't really anything else to do. Only Rilas had joined Rajah to spend some time with friends of the Mantrin Prince down in the mess hall. It didn't take long for Kero's First Officer to realize that these guys had been through a lot to earn a place among the ranks of the Elite Assault Force.

At first Rilas felt a bit uneasy among these aggressive members of his own species leering at him if he were an alien. But when they began to share experiences over a glass of ale he became a bit more relaxed and for a moment he actually felt like one of them. He was fascinated by all the funny, sad and exciting stories from these guys' experiences as a member of the EAF and that remembered him of all the things he had been through himself. He had a few very brief assignments before he was placed under Kero's command.

The _Son of the Empire_ was already his third ship to serve on and his new Captain was proving to be a very good friend and experienced officer. They would certainly serve for some time together before he eventually would get his own command because that was something every officer wanted to accomplish one day.

Although that did meant saying goodbye to a lot of friends and fellow crewmates, getting your own command was something that brought your crew even closer to you because you were responsible for every living soul on your ship. You were the one who had to complete the mission and get them home safely again so that they could be with their families. Now Kero was responsible for all of this and he promised himself that he would assist his Captain in any way possible, no matter what situations might arise.

Because his First was having the little fun he deserved with the other Prince he called his brother, Kero was sharing the entire bunk only with his beloved one and he was smart enough to take advantage of it. The lights were dimmed to a dusky shine and three of the four bunks were currently empty and the last one was shared by two Mantrin bodies. Stith was lying on top of him with her head on his chest while Kero himself was lying in the full length of the bunk in a half sitting position with his back against the wall facing the door.

"This is not very comfortable" he complained trying to find a comfortable position for his tail.

"I think it is very" Stith replied with a relaxed voice.

She looked up and rubbed her muzzle against his making love with him as she hadn't done in a couple of days. Sneaking into the Captain's quarters up late would eventually raise suspicions so now that Rilas was gone she decided to take advantage of it no matter what.

"How are they able to sleep this way? My back already hurts and…"

His sentence was cut off when Stith's warm hand found the soft spot between his nostrils making him purr softly. His warm breath on her hand was suddenly replaced by something wet when his large tongue made contact with her skin.

"Kero!" she said giggling.

"Sorry" he replied with a soft laugh.

"You're irresistible."

She wiped off her hand on his uniform and moved up to lick his cheek. When he bowed his head to softly bite her in the scruff of her neck her tail began to shiver of pleasure.

"You've become the most important figure in my life in such a short period of time" she whispered.

"You've become the same for me" he replied caressing the edges of her ears the way she liked it.

"You're so beautiful" he said softly stroking her cheek with his fingers.

"You're really sweet Kero; you're different from other Mantrins."

Kero purred softly and deep in his throat enjoying the moment. He really loved this girl who had taken such a special place in both of his hearts.

"Have you ever noticed the way humans make love?" Stith asked flinging her arms around his muscular neck.

"Is it true that they put their tongues into each other's mouths?" Kero asked with a slightly flattened ear.

"That's gross."

"Not gross" Stith replied.

"Different. It's called kissing. Akima told me once that it's quite pleasurable."

"I really don't think that our muzzles are made for kissing" Kero objected.

"Care to give it a try?" Stith replied already bringing her muzzle closer to his.

He felt really weird that she asked this from him. Did she actually want him to put his tongue in her beak? Slightly tilting his head to make their beaks lock together he gave it a try. From the beginning he felt that this was not going to work. A Mantrin's beak was just not meant to make love and he felt stupid about what they were doing. Because their mouths didn't fully lock together he felt that he was beginning to drool from the side of his beak and he broke off before it could get worse.

"This really doesn't work" he said with only the tip of his muzzle still touching hers.

"You've convinced me" Stith replied with a giggle, dropping her head to his chest.

They kept playing with each other until Rilas suddenly dropped in. Stith and Kero didn't even bother to look up to the Commander. Rilas however quickly turned his head to the other side and covered his eyes with his muscular arms to withdraw his Captain's private moment from his eyesight.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb your romantic moment together."

"It's okay Rilas" Kero replied friendly while getting up pulling Stith with him.

The two Mantrins disentangled their legs and sat next to each other on the edge of Kero's bunk.

"I've decided not to cover it up anymore. Stith and I are in love."

Rilas slowly dropped his arms and looked at his Captain and his girlfriend.

"So that means, that I'm looking at the future Princess" he said curving the edges of his beak into a faint smile.

Stith and Kero looked at each other for a moment before realizing what he just said was essentially true.

"He is right" Stith said looking into the Goureg Prince's bright blue eyes.

"I'm really happy for you guys" Rilas said.

Suddenly the Sogowan's ears dropped to a slightly lower position and so Stith noticed. Rilas finally realized how lonely he actually was and began to think about having a mate himself.

"Ah, c'mon Rilas" Stith said.

"There are plenty of girls aboard the ship. And if you don't like'm, you can always take a look around here."

"Here?" Rilas replied a bit uneasy about the thought.

"A bit aggressive don't you think? The only thing the females here are thinking about is fighting."

"Well suit yourself" Stith shrugged.

"But I am really happy for you two. You're gonna make an excellent couple" Rilas replied with a wink.

Kero pulled Stith against him again and roughly rubbed her muscular shoulder.

"I'm very confident of that, don't you think Stith?"

Stith growled softly and amused and pushed him back on the bed with considerable force.

"You bet I am" she grumbled almost attacking him. But instead she assumed the same position as before and let herself rest. Kero, a bit unsure of what to do enclosed the Sogowan Mantrinesse in his large warm arms and could already feel his eyes beginning to fall shut. They didn't even bother to change their uniform for a pajama. When Rilas whispered if he could dim the lights after he was done changing he looked at Stith for the last time. Her eyes were closed and her breathing had dropped to a very relaxed level. She had already fallen asleep on his chest and he nodded towards Rilas who powered down the lighting so that it was almost completely dark. Trying to move into a more comfortable position to spend the night without waking Stith, Kero rolled on his side laying her beside him. She grumbled softly when he moved her but didn't wake up. Still enclosing her with his right arm he closed his eyes and after a few minutes listening to Rilas' shuffling and Stith's breathing he had already fallen asleep.

It was very early in the morning when someone banged on the door with considerable force.

"All right everybody out!" Rajah's voice sounded from behind the metal door.

"Screw you Rajah" Stith who had woken up from the noise thought at first but this was an important day and the Prince was right.

She listened to Kero's breathing as Rajah's brother just slept right through it. The Goureg was snoring softly and the air coming out of his nostrils tickled her ears. Rilas turned around in his bed and grumbled something inaudible in their language.

"This was one way of getting in a bad mood" Stith thought.

Softly groaning she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned.

"Lights twenty-five percent" she said softly not to disturb the likely cranky Rilas.

The lights embedded in the ceiling of the room started to spread a faint shine, enough to see what she was doing. When she looked at her beloved one, he was still very much asleep with something that resembled a smile on his face.

"Just look at him" Stith thought teasingly.

She assumed a half sitting position between his legs trying not to hit her head against the ceiling of the bunk.

"I wonder what happens if I do this."

Using only her fingertips she started to tickle his waist.

"Hmm" he muttered.

Slowly opening one eye and peering through the split he looked at her and grinned.

"Hi" he grumbled stretching out his arms a bit.

He scratched on an itchy spot on his back and yawned loudly.

"Slept well?" Stith asked.

Kero nodded vaguely and tried to loosen up his neck a bit. He felt a bit stiff and cramped but for the rest he was okay. He slowly got up disentangling his legs from Stith's and assumed a sitting position on the edge of the bed next to Stith. They were both still wearing their uniform.

"Ready?" Kero asked.

"As I'll ever be" Stith replied.

She leaned back against his shoulder and sniffed.

"Kero, you stink."

"Well I'm sorry, I haven't brushed my teeth yet" Kero's muffled voice replied when he tried to conceal his muzzle.

"You don't exactly smell very nice either."

Stith laughed and stood up.

"Well, let's do something about it."

"Oh, wait a sec." Stith said inspecting Rilas.

She lifted her huge left foot, placed it carefully on Rilas belly and started to roll him over. Rilas immediately got up giving her a most vicious and cranky look and growled.

"Stop it! I hate getting up early!"

But when Stith and Kero began to laugh he had to laugh too.

"Oh well, let's do it then."

Rilas joined his Captain and Stith to the large common bathroom where all the soldiers had to clean themselves up, no exceptions, Prince or no Prince. However there was a separate area for males and females.

When they stepped into the corridor they found the humans already fully dressed and ready. Rajah was already discussing the plans for the day and he explained that he had woken the humans a bit earlier so they didn't have to share the bathroom with a bunch of naked Mantrin warriors. A wise decision, all three of them thought since it would be most unpleasant for both parties to display their private parts to another species. Rajah joined the humans to the mess hall when the Mantrins started to freshen themselves up and prepared for a long and tiresome day. Especially Kero did since he had made up his mind about something he never thought he would do. But it was something that would certainly help him to regain his honor for both himself and his House.

"Unacceptable!" Otrin's voice barked echoing through the entire room.

All the high-ranking officers of the Elite Assault Force had gathered together with the group of humans and Imperial Guard officers inside the large strategy center deep inside the underground base. The most advanced communication and intelligence equipment had been installed inside this massive chamber. The lights had been dimmed and most of it was coming from the shimmering consoles, viewscreens and above all a somewhat smaller, but furthermore exactly the same as the original, recreation of Cale's Aridanis IV simulation. It was projected by a holo-emitter in the middle of a huge tactical overlay normally used for battle tactics and the circular console was completely surrounded by screens and panels with buttons. Commander Otrin was staring right through the partially transparent projection at a viewscreen on the other side of the room currently showing Cale, Akima, two Mantrin Admirals including Xilrai and some Starfleet personnel standing inside a room similar to this one that belonged to the Imperial Guard. Otrin was angry and he wasn't planning on hiding it. What they asked from him and his soldiers was practically suicide.

"You are asking me, to send my best warriors, my most highly trained men down to a planet crawling with unknown threats…"

He paused between to breaths. He was breathing heavily and had his teeth clenched together in anger.

"Without any communication, without any support and without any certainty that they might get out of there alive?!"

Xilrai had his arms crossed. The Orketh Admiral had known Otrin for some time and was aware of the Commanders violent eruptions if he was pushed over his limits. This was certainly one of those moments were a single wrong word could cause the Sogowan to explode but this time, a single word wasn't even necessary.

"Commander, we can't think of a better team for the job. You're the only chance we have. If your…"

"Are you insane?!" Otrin roared spittle flying from his angry bird-like beak.

"Commander!" Mithras' heavy voice bellowed through the room ordering him to keep his anger under control.

Although the General didn't fully like the plan either, he agreed with Admiral Xilrai that his team of elite warriors was the only chance for now.

"You are talking to a superior officer! Watch your tongue!"

Otrin was breathing heavily through his nose, eyes flickering with anger and his ears flat on his head but he did as his commanding officer instructed.

"We don't even have solid intel about what's going on down there" Otrin continued on a calmer tone but still clearly in a bad mood.

"It was already extremely hard to get what we currently have" Xilrai replied.

"Our ships are detected as soon as they enter the system. Keeping the engine emissions and power output at low levels doesn't help much either. They are blocking our scans deeper into the system but we have to assume that they have a stable transdimensional gate in the area."

Otrin growled, still not agreeing with the whole idea.

"The plan stands then" Mithras decided.

"The humans will start working on the virus together with the _Son of the Empire_ crew" he said pointing at the particular groups.

"Commander, your orders are to put a team together to deliver it. Take your best men. Understood?!"

"Clearly sir!" Otrin replied firmly.

"I'll lead the mission myself!"

"That's up to you to decide. Everyone has their orders, carry them out!"

The General lead his high-ranking officers out of the room first. Rajah guided the group of humans to the lab and two of the three Mantrins followed. The third Mantrin that stayed behind was Kero and he stepped up to the Commander to present him a plan of his own. It was something that was difficult for him to decide and Otrin probably wouldn't like it but it was a chance for him to regain one of the most important things in a Mantrins life.

"Commander, may I have a word with you?" Kero asked friendly but still firmly.

Otrin was standing with his back towards the Prince staring at the recreation of the planet, or hell as he thought of it. He grumbled something inaudible that Kero understood as a yes.

"Sir, I want your permission to join the team."

Otrin flicked both ears and turned around to face him with a mixture of amusement and confusion on his face. He scoffed and let out a barking laugh.

"You gotta be kidding me" he laughed in the Prince' face.

But when he noticed that Kero wasn't laughing at all but crossed his arms to strengthen his statement the laugh dropped from his face and was quickly replaced by the same cranky expression as before.

"You cannot be serious. Is everyone planning to commit suicide now?!"

Stith who had been waiting for her Captain around the corner had heard what Kero asked the Commander. She was standing outside the room around the corner of the door with her back against the wall, her tail beating against the metal in confusion. She was staring at her dim reflection in the wall on the opposite side and repeated for herself what her Captain and beloved one had just asked.

"Kero what are you doing?" she asked herself.

He once told her that he was afraid that he would lose her some day. But now she was on the verge of losing him. And this was all about his honor? She was not going to listen to this crap any longer. She was going to put an end to this nonsense right here, right now. She entered the room with firm steps interrupting the two debating Mantrins with her strong female voice.

"You are going with them?!" she asked in pure confusion.

"Oh, great, another one planning to get herself killed" Otrin scoffed rolling with his eyes.

"Cut the crap Otrin, I'm going to stop him from doing something terribly stupid!"

"Stith, please stay out of it. I have to do this" Kero almost pleaded.

He knew he could just order her to leave but he wanted to try the soft approach first.

"And you were afraid to lose me one day?" she asked pointing at her chest.

"It's for my House! I have to regain my honor!" Kero said to Otrin letting a bit of anger slip in his voice.

Stith was quiet for now because the tone of his voice betrayed that he was serious about this.

"Then I'm going with you!" Stith added.

Her words silenced him and before he could reply she did it again.

"You're going with…"

"I'm going! I'm your tactical officer and weapons expert so I'll cover your back wherever you go."

"Damn it, Stith always knew how to corner him so he couldn't go around it anymore" Kero thought.

"Now wait a minute!" Otrin objected.

"I'll decide who's on the team and who's not!"

Kero crossed his arms and gave him a made smile.

"You'll be travelling on my ship until we reach Aridanis" he said.

"And let's not forget that the whole plan of the quantum virus is mine."

Otrin let out a frustrated growl. The fact that the Prince remained so utterly calm only angered him more.

"Prove yourselves! Then we'll talk!" he roared throwing his arms in the air in frustration.

The Sogowan Commander lead the way out of the room with Kero and Stith in pursuit.

"We're all warriors here" Stith replied already letting her hands slip to her holsters to check her favorite pair of weapons.

"I'll be the judge of that!" Otrin retorted a sneer cutting across his face. He stepped into the corridor, his nails scratching over the metal floor. He lead them to the training ground to teach these two individuals what a real warrior is. And he was going to show them the hard way, Prince or no Prince.

A few moments later a slightly different version of the soft acoustic alarm sounded through the corridors of the base, calling not one group but all Mantrin EAF warriors to the training ground for battle. The signal was fully ignored by the humans who were firing up the advanced computing technology in one of the larger labs which was provided by the General himself because of the sudden urgency of this mission. The longer they would wait the bigger the chance that the enemy might strengthen their defenses or carry out a preemptive strike on another star system. Time was of the essence.

"Maybe I should go too" Rajah mumbled when his ears picked up the call to arms.

"Then go Rajah, I think we can handle things here" Jason said taking place behind one of the consoles and virtual displays projected in front of his seat.

"Don't worry, things are under control" Korso added taking a seat on the left side of the Starfleet Captain.

"Where's the rest of my crew?" Rilas asked looking around if he could spot them somewhere.

"I heard them talking to the Commander just before we left" Rajah explained.

"How do you…" But Rilas was interrupted by Rajah who pointed at his right ear.

"Improved hearing. I'll notify you when I found them. I must go now."

Rajah left the lab and left the Mantrin and four humans behind in the room filled with whirring equipment and projected viewscreens.

"Okay, where do we start?" Brian asked to nobody in common.

He began tapping on one of the projected screens which virtual surface rippled slightly wherever he touched them.

"Interesting" he muttered under his breath.

"We're going to create a virus right?" Rilas replied getting familiar with the controls under his claws.

All five of them had taken place on one of the six seats designed for Mantrins surrounding a huge more or less circular plateau. Three projected screens floated in the air above each of their consoles currently only showing the status of the computer core and a virtual workspace for new projects. The computer was ready to respond to any voice commands and all of its processing power was available for usage.

"I don't think the General would be very happy if our creation shuts down his entire base" Chrysta said sarcastically.

"We need to have our own isolated space" Korso said sharing his thoughts with the others.

"You mean a sandbox?" Jason replied.

"Right" Korso said.

"Well that's a start. Computer create a protected sandbox around the workspace that counteracts any attempts of the project to break out, alter system parameters or anything malicious."

The computer confirmed and a dotted line appeared around the square area on each of their viewscreens which began to glow in a bluish color.

"Workspace isolated. Intrusion prevention systems active. Clear to proceed" a soft female computer voice reported.

"Let's start by creating a basis for the virus" Jason decided.

Working tightly together, they began to work on the most clever malicious program ever created and meant to save the entire Galaxy and perhaps more from the biggest threat it had ever faced. Even by building this program on a basis and with help of some of the most advanced equipment available, they had to rely on every single bit of computer knowledge they had. They had to outsmart a computer dozens and dozens of times more powerful than any other one.

"All right!" Otrin roared.

The warm Sogowan sun was shining on the heads of approximately three-hundred elite Mantrin warriors on the large training ground next to the base. Otrin was walking past the front row of highly trained warriors and he had a plan. A plan that didn't involve having to choose his men for the upcoming mission. Nearly every Mantrin race of both sexes was represented in his ranks and they all performed admirably in battle. Otherwise they wouldn't be part of this elite army of commando's capable of performing any type of mission. Kero noticed his brother standing in the second row of the group, fully understanding what was expected from him.

"The General wants me to put a team together for the mission to Aridanis! I know you're all eager to fight and are all capable of carrying out this mission! He wants the best of the best but you're all the best of the best otherwise you wouldn't be standing here!"

He snorted and held position in front of the first row. All warriors had been called to the field without any of their equipment except for their standard issue vibro-blades.

"That's why you're going to prove yourselves! That's right, were going to play a little game here! Got it?!"

"We get you sir!" all warriors responded with fierce.

"In about half an hour you'll split yourselves up in teams of five after you will enter the forest and head for the starting position marked on your tactical interface! When everyone is in position set your guns to training mode! The objective is hunting the other teams down while your team tries to stay alive! The ten of you who manage to stay alive the longest automatically mark themselves for the positions in the team for the Aridanis mission! Questions?!"

"Sir! No sir!" Otrin smirked favorable.

"Grab your gear and get ready to move out! GO! GO! GO!"

All warriors left their ranks and walked towards the small armory adjacent to the terrain where all the equipment for missions was stored. Stith and Kero were observing this from behind and wondered why the Commander had brought them here in the first place. It didn't look like he was planning to let them join the team on the mission. Otrin turned around to face them and he expression on his face betrayed that he had something different in mind for them.

"Good, over to you two" he grumbled.

"How much combat experience do you have?"

"More than enough sir!" Stith replied immediately not letting this guy walk over her.

"We'll see about that!" Otrin growled.

"C'mon show me what you've got!" he added baring his teeth.

He assumed a more stable position, his claws plowing in the dirt.

"I promise I won't go easy on ya!"

"I don't expect you to!" Stith replied getting ready for a nasty fight.

Both Otrin and Stith began turning circles around each other, carefully observing their opponent's moves, trying to predict who was going to make the first one. Otrin was larger than she was and probably more experienced but she didn't let his size, strength or training frighten her off. She had been through her fair amount of battles herself and wasn't planning on letting this guy beat her that easily.

It was Stith who moved in closer at first and threw her massive foot against Otrin's middle leg segment first. The Commander growled in pain while Kero watched his girlfriend fight with this Mantrin. Strengthened by the pain in his leg he moved in on Stith so that she didn't have room to retract her leg for another kick. He began a devastating series of blows Stith managed to block partially. His fist hit her in the stomach making her growl aggressively. Her claws extended and she pulled a few vicious cuts over the left side of Otrin's face. Blood trickled down his face when he attacked her again, even more ferociously then the first time. His combination of attacks betrayed that he was very well trained in Ashala, a form of martial arts that could only be practiced by Mantrins because it greatly involved the use of their large triple jointed legs.

Stith was a tough girl and a human probably wouldn't survive this kind of punishment but from what he could see, Kero knew that Otrin was too much for her. It didn't take long before Stith was lying on her back in the dirt with Otrin's large clawed foot planted on her chest. He had her pinned down to the ground and there was nothing she could do to free herself right about now. Stith let out a frustrated growl, knowing she was powerless from her perilous position. She was angry. Angry that this selfish piece of crap had beaten her up like this. She wiped a bit of blood from her beak and felt the burning sensation of cuts and bruises on several places of her body. Otrin leaned on his right leg increasing the weight on her chest and brought his face closer to hers.

The first warriors including Rajah were already coming back from the armory with weapons in their hands and heavy loaded backpacks full of special equipment. They were wearing a special type of body armor that contained sensors that would detect a hit. Getting hit on the armor meant the deactivation of your weapon and loss of the game. In addition you didn't show up on the others' tactical interface as a target anymore allowing you to return to base safely. The returning warriors began to observe Otrin's little struggle with Stith in amusement.

"Worthless" Otrin said his voice almost quieting to a whisper. He stretched out the word to make it sound even more humiliating. Stith stared back at him the anger dripping of her face, still snorting in frustration. He slowly removed his foot from her chest so that she could get up. He was planning on giving her another chance by helping her slightly. It was an old trick and something that worked with most people.

"I bet that filthy mother of yours can do even better than this" he added turning his back towards her.

Otrin however was unaware of what he had unleashed. Stith rose up on her legs again, a red veil falling in front of her eyes.

"What did he say about her mother?" it flashed through her mind.

"He called her filthy?"

She felt an anger coming up in her chest like she had never felt before. An intense anger filled her mind and drove all logic and sense to the background until only animalistic rage remained. She was going to beat the hell out of this guy. She was going to scratch out his eyes, break every single bone in his body and tear him to shreds. Fueled with searing rage she pounced on him from behind taking him down with her to the ground, with a scream of anger. Otrin was lying on his back and stared up into the murderous eyes of the Sogowan female kneeling on top of him he had beaten in a fair fight less than a minute ago. Stith was unstoppable and let her fists rain down on his face in pure uncontrollable anger.

"Don't, you, ever, insult, my, mother!" she screamed with each word slamming her fist in his face wherever she could hit him.

Blood began to flow from Otrin's nose and beak and judging by her tears falling down on him he knew he hit a very sensitive nerve. This was personal and probably very tragic and for a moment he felt sorry for her. Before she could punch again her arms were held back by Kero who only managed to pull her off him. Stith screamed in all the anger and pain she felt. Otrin knew that the pain in both her hearts probably far surpassed the pain in his entire body. She buried her face in Kero's chest while he comforted her. Otrin slowly got up from the ground and coughed. He spat out blood and a couple of teeth before he pulled himself back on his legs again. The shoulders of his uniform were covered with splatters of his own blood and the salty tears of Stith that had fallen on his face burned into the wounds. He felt dizzy and disoriented but still managed to produce a faint smile.

"Looks like there's still hope for you yet" he groaned through gritted teeth.

"You're in."

But when he saw Kero's scornful look he kept his mouth wisely shut. Rajah, who had observed this from a safe distance approached his commanding officer.

"Need any help sir?" he asked the beaten up Commander.

"Mind your own business!" Otrin hissed.

He spat on the ground on more time to get the iron-like taste out of his mouth.

"Sir, may I inform the others about the change of plans regarding the Aridanis mission? The humans probably counted on Kero and Stith helping them."

"Do what you have to do, as long as you're back before your training starts."

Otrin stumbled to the armory where there was a small infirmary for patching up small wounds and other injuries sustained during training missions. He didn't want to appear weak but he felt a bit nauseous and blood from the wounds on his face and the blood from his nose had soaked the shoulders of his uniform.

"Sir!" Rajah replied with a nod while heading on his way to inform Rilas and the humans.

"There is something about her" Otrin thought stumbling towards the infirmary.

"I recognize that strong attitude from somewhere. The fiery personality."

As if he met her before. But he didn't recognize the name Stith. Or did he?

"No. Is this possible?"

But he couldn't be sure. He decided to find out as soon as he got chance, although that was probably going to prove difficult now that she hated him.

Kero guided Stith out of hearing range of the others on the field with his arm pulled around her shoulders. She had stopped crying and was now only sobbing softly but it was almost like he could feel her anger towards Commander Otrin. The warrior had hit his girlfriend in a place she had never considered vulnerable and it had caused a sudden outburst of violent emotions locked up for too long. But just like most members of his species, Stith had turned her grief into anger first and let Otrin pay for whatever it was that happened in her past. He looked in her watery copper-colored eyes that flickered with anger at the same time. He gently wiped the tears from her eyes and stroke her cheeks.

"What happened to you Stith?" he asked softly, his ears drooping down.

"I hardly recognized you a few moments ago."

"I don't wanna talk about it" she ward it off.

"You can tell me Stith. You can talk to me whenever you…"

"I don't wanna talk about it!" she barked.

"Okay, okay, easy I didn't hurt you" Kero hastily apologized.

Her ears drooped down just like his when she faced him again.

"I'm sorry" she sighed.

"I'm directing my anger at you. It's not your fault. But it's too painful."

Kero grabbed the Sogowan girl and pulled her tightly against him.

"I'm sorry Stith, but if you don't talk about it it'll always remain inside you. You've locked it up for so long."

Stith released herself from his arms and grabbed her head, like the memory itself hurt her by thinking about it.

"I never knew my father and I lost my mother when I was very young. I hardly remember her but what I do remember was that she was the bravest warrior I ever knew and that I wanted to be like her when I was older. She served as an example for me. She had fought many battles, killed so many enemies and had achieved some of the highest honors in both the Imperial Guard and the EAF. She too was a member of this group of elite soldiers."

Stith sighed again and took a deep breath.

"Then the Drej killed her. They murdered her! They took her from me when I most needed her! And when that piece of crap called her 'filthy' I thought I finally found someone I could blame for losing my mother!"

Stith almost let her anger take control of her again. Her fists were balled and she grinded her teeth while the claws of her feet plowed into the dirt. She looked at Kero again, the anger flickering in her eyes till the point Kero feared her.

"I wanted to make HIM pay for what they'd done! I'll kill him!" she screamed with a shaky voice.

Her anger had reached one last critical point until it finally flowed out of her mind. The red veil that had fallen in front of her eyes completely disappeared and her shoulders began to shiver.

"But I can't!"

Stith felt on her lower set of knees in the dirt of the training ground. She nearly started to cry again but was caught by Kero's warm comforting arms.

"Shhh. It's gone out now. You've finally told someone about it and now it's out" the Prince whispered.

"Thank you" she whispered back, this time wiping the tears out of her eyes herself.

"C'mon Stith. I can't go down to that planet alone. I need you if we're gonna pull this off. Are you with me?"

"Of course I am" she replied flinging both arms around his neck and tightly embracing the Goureg Mantrin.

"Then let's grab our gear. We're gonna show them what we're made off."

Stith and Kero began to walk to the armory themselves to pick up their weapons and backpacks for the training mission in the forest. Although it was only a training mission that didn't involve soldiers getting seriously hurt, it could still be a long and dangerous undertaking to venture into the forests of Sogowa Prime. Their homeworld featured several species of wild animals, some of them also very dangerous to Mantrins, not to mention the hazardous plants in this jungle-like environment.

While Stith and Kero prepared for their exciting training mission, the other members of the group were working on something less exciting but it still demanded their undivided attention in every step of the process. Making the slightest mistake could ruin the whole thing or worse, causing the virus to spread itself and cause fatal system failures in the entire base. Each one of them had to frequently wipe the sweat from their foreheads as at was a very conscientious job that constantly needed their attention. They now actually had something that was beginning to look like a malignant program that was capable of putting the AI out of action, for good.

"Get ready everyone. And watch out for her polymorphic abilities, they can be very devious" Pierce cautioned.

The project group was on the verge of testing the very first version of the virus against a virtual fortress inside the sandbox. This 'fortress' assumed the role of the AI and it was actually a very clever program that assumed a defensive role against the virus' abilities. The real thing probably had all kinds of intrusion prevention systems, firewalls and back-up systems so this virus had to be prepared for everything. The best thing the team could do was disable these back-up systems before injecting the virus but they might not have the time or the possibility to do that. Because they had so little intel on what was going on down there they had to make this virus as hard to kill as possible.

Jason was concentrating on everything that happened on his console and the three virtual screens in front of him.

"Activating" he stated.

He pressed a button and the virus began to mutate and copy itself.

"Watch out for her copies" Korso warned.

"They're morphing" Rilas stated without pulling his eyes from the screens.

"So far so good" Chrysta replied checking on the program's progress on penetrating the fortress' defenses.

But just as they thought it worked, the red whirling strings of code that represented the different portions of the virus began to disappear, neutralized by the fortress program's defense.

"No, no, NO!" Brian exclaimed.

All fifteen screens now showed the text 'malicious program eliminated'.

"Damn it!" Brian cursed slamming with his hand on the console.

"Easy Number One" Korso calmed the younger man down.

"We tried, we failed" Pierce mumbled.

"Well luckily, we don't have to start from scratch" Rilas said trying to look at the bright side of the situation.

"Frankly, I think that we're doing it all wrong and maybe we have to" Pierce replied crossing his arms.

The computer put a report together about the test results and those results indicated that there were some design errors inside the program that allowed the intrusion prevention system to destroy vital parts of the code resulting in the elimination of all copies. They had to do something drastically different to prevent this from happening. When they started to discuss what to do next Rajah entered the lab to inform them about the current situation.

"He's going to do what?" Rilas exclaimed.

"And Stith is with him?" Korso added in astonishment.

"I'm afraid so" Rajah replied.

"I have to go with…" Rilas began but hesitated.

The Mantrin Commander stood up from his chair and looked at Pierce.

"Jason, may I have a word with my Captain?"

"Of course Rilas, do what you have to do" Jason replied with a nod.

"We'll keep your seat warm for you" Chrysta added after which the Mantrin gave her a friendly smile.

"It's about his honor" Korso explained when Jason looked at the Republican starship Captain.

"Well we don't have to wait until he's back. We need to change something, something drastic."

While the four humans continued to work on the program, two Mantrin's that were initially part of the group were preparing for a far more drastic change in the original plan. They were about to play a vital and most dangerous part in the success of the mission.


	34. Chapter 32 Forest Chase

**Forest chase**

If they hadn't been in a hurry, the armory would probably the place where Stith would have the time of her life. She had never seen so many weapons and special equipment for the hardest of missions in one place. Everything from small blasters to large rifles and rocket launchers was stored at this warrior's heaven.

"Wow" Stith softly exclaimed.

The Sogowan female was overwhelmed at the sight of all these guns and explosives carefully arranged in racks and lockers. The armory was basically one big well lighted hall with rows upon rows of racks stacked with weapons. A single door at the entrance provided access to a small infirmary and another one lead to a small command center in a tower that would be used by the Commander to keep track of his warriors' status during training missions but that was basically it. A few warriors were still busy grabbing their equipment together for the upcoming training mission but they were pretty much alone.

"You're feeling right at home, do you?" Kero asked with a chuckle.

He scratched his back while he watched amused how Stith let herself go. She was just observing a rack with a dozen different types of grenades and other explosive devices when a voice coming from behind startled her.

"You don't need those" a low friendly voice woke her up from as from a dream that turned out to be reality.

When she turned around she faced an Orketh male, chestnut skinned, black stripes on his back and friendly twinkling green eyes. He was wearing heavy armor over the upper part of his body and two vibro-blades stuck in the sheaths around his middle leg segments. The small display of the eyepiece connected to his brain was facing upwards and he was checking his gun, the standard EAF weapon. The class four multi-purpose or C4M tactical pulse rifle was as powerful as it was heavy and was a weapon only used by the Mantrin armed forces because of its weight. When the Orketh had checked everything for the last time he put his again aside to help her and Kero.

"You only need this one" he said grabbing a second C4M from the rack next to him.

He handed it over to Stith who tried the weapon for herself. She felt the cold texture of the metal, the considerable weight in her arms and almost the amount of power it held. She brought the rifle closer to her face, staring down the muzzle to pick her target. While Stith tried her gun the Orketh warrior grabbed another one and handed it over to Kero with a very slight bow.

"I'm honored to meet you Prince Kero" he said.

"Please, just Kero. And you are?"

"Le'tan, from the House of Aweyu" he said proudly.

"Stith, I was once part of a House, now I'm a nameless warrior who fights for Emperor and Empire" Stith introduced herself.

"Pleasure" Le'tan replied friendly and without asking further questions.

"Now you're gonna need some armor" he continued leading them to a different section of the hall where various sizes and sorts of body armor were stored.

The bullet and laser-proof vests provided ample protection against energy blasts and solid objects and several plates of armor covered the shoulders, arms and torso. It was heavy but agile and it would come in handy in such a hostile environment as Aridanis IV had become. While Stith and Kero pulled the lighter training armor with the special sensors over their red uniforms and grabbed an armored backpack that weighted a little over sixty kilo's, Le'tan disappeared and returned a minute later with two more eyepieces.

"You sure we need those? We don't have those neural transceivers" Stith replied with a flattened ear while the slightly smaller Orketh handed her the equipment.

"Well you won't be able to be in direct control of your weapon but it can still display important tactical information, not to mention your status on the mission."

"Right" Stith replied positioning the delicate piece of equipment over her head so that it covered her right eye.

"Well, try it" Le'tan encouraged her.

When Stith activated her weapon and eyepiece the two devices linked with each other and began to communicate. The small transparent screen in front of her eye now showed the amount of power available, the effective weapon range, distance to targets and surroundings and several more useful readings.

"Amazing" she whispered.

She looked at Kero through the thing who had the same construction on his head and tried it for himself.

"Great isn't it?" Le'tan said.

"The Commander will upload the data regarding the mission to everyone's eyepiece allowing us to concentrate on the mission and keep track on its status while we fight."

Suddenly Stith's attention was caught be approaching footsteps and she pricked her ears. When she turned around to see who was coming she narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth at the sight. She deactivated the equipment and pulled the eyepiece from her head so that she could face him with both eyes. Otrin was standing three meters from her position. He wore a clean uniform and had taken care of his wounds but the bruises on his brown skin were still clearly visible. It satisfied her and she hoped that it hurt a lot.

"Le'tan, could you please leave us alone?" he asked friendlier than normal.

"Of course sir" the Orketh warrior replied.

"See ya in the field" he said with a wink towards Stith and Kero.

When Le'tan was out of hearing range Otrin directed his attention towards Stith again. He let his arms fall beside him and he didn't appear very a happy about what happened between them.

"What do you want?!" Stith hissed viciously.

"Stith, I wanted you to know that I'm sorry."

It cost him an awful lot of effort to apologize for what he did. Mantrins weren't very lenient and if he offered her a genuine apology it had to be something more.

"Why?!" Stith growled back at him.

She still hated him for what he said and wasn't planning on making this easy for him.

"I wanted to unlock you full potential, so that you could show me what you're truly worth."

"I hope you liked it!" she replied relentlessly.

"Now get out of my eyes!" Stith turned around and pulled Kero with her on his arm.

"Please hear me out on this!" Otrin called.

"I have nothing to say to you!" she bit back.

"I should have seen it right from the beginning!" he yelled after her.

"You are Stith, daughter of Mestral. And I'm terribly sorry that I insulted the finest female warrior I've ever known!"

Stith was stopped dead in her tracks by his words.

"How could this be possible?" she thought.

Mestral died years ago, but she was a member of the Elite Assault Force. She turned around to face Otrin again, astonished by what he had just said.

"You knew my mother?" she asked in disbelief.

"I had the privilege to train and fight beside her."

Stith was unable to bring out another word. Even Kero payed close attention to the words that were exchanged between Otrin and his girlfriend now. Stith had never mentioned her family much and when he started to talk about it she always managed to rapidly change subjects.

"How?" Stith asked her voice now quieting to a whisper.

"I wasn't sure at first and I didn't gave it much thought but when I fought with you everything felt right into place."

Otrin smiled recalling the good memories from his past. He was an older experienced fighter so it could be very well possible that he knew her mother.

"The best way to get to know someone is to fight with them. And when I fought with you, even when I argue with you, I see Mestral in her young years."

Otrin let out a deep sigh.

"I wish she was still alive."

Stith´s eyes began to water again. It was unbelievable that, after so many years of ignorance about what happened to her family she finally met someone who had known her mother personally. It was like yesterday that the authorities came and took her away from the place she once recalled as home. After that she had been the only child in a foster home. But only shortly after she had settled in, things completely fell apart in only a tiny fraction of the time it took her to settle. Stith had been through a rough time all her life and it still wasn´t easy. Her voice was shaking when she spoke again encouraged by Kero´s strong clawed hand on the armor plate protecting her shoulder.

"Tell me about her. What was she like?" she asked, her triangular eyes filled with tears.

"The bravest female warrior I've ever known" Otrin said.

"It was quite some time ago and the Empire was rapidly expanding its territory at that time. We were always looking for new planets that leaned themselves for terraforming projects and provide more comfortable living space for both our species and others. Space however is not the friendliest place to be and violent conflicts were much more common than they are now. There were once more bases like this one and the EAF counted over two-thousand elite warriors at that time. Mestral was one of my bunkmates and we frequently trained together."

Otrin laughed when he remembered his training days at the compound.

"Those were good times. We had a lot of fun together in between training sessions. She was always stirring herself up. Always claiming she could have done better."

Otrin chuckled.

"She even got angry when she didn't live up to her own expectations."

He looked up into Stith's eyes that were now gleaming with silent tears.

"And how she was happy when she got you. She was always talking about her Stith. Her little girl who would become an even greater warrior then she was."

He sighed and stared up at the ceiling of the storage hall. As if Kirliya herself could give him the answer to his next question.

"Why did she had to die vain at the hands of the Drej?"

Stith just couldn't swallow the lump currently stuck in her throat. Inaudible tears rolled down her cheeks where they collected on the underside of her muzzle where she wiped them off with the sleeve of her uniform.

"I just wanted you to know. And I want you to know that I'm deeply sorry that I insulted you and your mother. Mestral was a good friend of mine and truly worthy of the title of elite warrior."

When Stith looked at Kero she saw that he had trouble with his emotions too. His bright blue eyes were gleaming and he softly stroke her ears and head when he pulled her against him.

"You've been through a lot haven't you?" he asked the silent female Sogowan.

Stith nodded slightly and leaned against him.

"Is it finally out now?" Kero asked.

"Yeah, we've gotta go. I bet my mother wouldn't have liked it if I failed to attend to my duties."

She wiped off the last remained tears, let go of Kero's arms and stepped up to the crossbreed Sogowan Commander putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for what I did to your face."

"But never ever insult the people I love again!" she added with a firm voice that didn't leave room for exceptions.

"You can count on it" Otrin promised.

"Remember me to look up her file for you when you're back. We keep records of every single warrior that set foot in these bases."

His expression suddenly went serious while he inspected their equipment.

"Well, what are you two standing there?! Get your ass down to the training ground! There's a war going on that needs to be fought!" Otrin barked heading back to his soldiers.

"Aye sir!" Stith and Kero both saluted and closed the armor around their waist and arms to begin their mission.

But before they could grab their weapons and backpacks and do as the Commander instructed, a panting Rilas arrived.

"So, you're, serious aren't you?" she said between two breaths while observing his Captain in heavy body armor.

"We'll I'm coming with you Captain."

"Rilas, listen to me" Kero replied putting down the gun again.

He approached Rilas and placed his hand on the Sogowan's muscular shoulder.

"Rilas, I have to do this. But I need an experienced officer in command of the ship, in case something goes wrong. The _Son of the Empire_ must standby on full alert in case they have to mount a rescue mission or provide support."

"With all due respect sir, I think that if something goes wrong while you guys are down on that hellhole of a planet there won't anything left to rescue."

Kero smiled. His First Officer wasn't dumb and in some way he was right.

"It's not that I think that you won't be a good asset to the mission, but I need someone up there I can trust. And that's you. Don't worry about me. Stith is here to cover my back."

After some hesitation Rilas finally gave in.

"All right, but if you fail I want your fifteen bottles of Sogowan honey mead."

"How did you?…" Kero wanted to ask.

"You think I wouldn't notice?" he replied smiling mysteriously.

"Don't count on it Commander because I'll be sharing a glass with you at the end of this mission" Kero smirked lifting the armored soldiers backpack on his back.

The thing was even heavier than he expected and he already prepared himself for a terrible backache after this. Rilas followed his Captain and Stith outside after which he left off for the compound again.

"Good luck you two! I know you guys can do this!"

"Thanks Rilas, see you soon!" Stith replied.

"Ready Stith?" Kero asked activating the eyepiece.

"Yep, let's rock!" she replied firmly doing the same.

She laughed when Kero frowned and flattened an ear.

"Picked that one up from Akima" she explained.

"I see" he replied slowly.

He could certainly tell that she had spend quite some time among humans and picked up some of their habits. Especially some of their odd expressions that didn't seem to have much meaning at first. He decided to put it out of his mind because he needed all his attention if he was going to survive this training session or the mission down on Aridanis.

"The mission is simple! You'll head with your team into the forest to the location designated by the coordinates on your tac-map. When everyone is in position you'll receive the start sign and from that moment on the only thing you have to do is shoot your opponents armor while avoid getting shot yourself. You'll be able to follow your progress on how many opponents are still left on your tactical interface. Is that clear?!"

"Sir! Yes sir!" the voice of a three-hundred warriors bellowed over the open terrain.

Otrin's orders were perfectly clear and a proud smirk appeared on his battered face. His warriors, including Stith and Kero, were already assigned to their teams of five members in which they were standing in these groups in rows of five in front of him. Two assistant officers accompanied the Commander on his way to the command tower on top of the armory building. In a few moments they would get the designated coordinates for their starting point and each of them took the time to get to know their teammates. Otrin had spotted them with Le'tan a few moments earlier so it wasn't fully a coincidence that the smaller Orketh was assigned to their team. The small Mantrin would easily be able to maneuver and take cover behind trees and the undergrowth of the forest to avoid getting shot at.

He was the exact opposite of the pitch black female Ryrjhii they got to know under the name of Azkun. Her belly was of a lighter shade, just as the inner side of her ear and she had the characteristic hooked beak all Ryrjhii had. She had only growled her name towards Stith when the female Sogowan introduced herself and wasn't exactly friendly. She glanced at Stith and Kero through one narrowed yellow eye, with her trunk-sized arms crossed. She was probably angry that Stith and Kero had joined her team because they weren't warriors of the EAF, thinking that they would diminish her chances to win this battle. Ryrjhii females were known to be very aggressive and only a male of the same race would be able to handle her without serious injury. She reminded Stith of Nunchaku, the Ryrjhii stationed aboard their ship.

"He would be the perfect mate for her" she thought.

They had already met the last member of their group and Freyu was very happy to be in their team. The Sogowan with his odd sense of humor seemed out of place on the battlefield at first but his gun and armor turned him into a formidable warrior just like the others. But that meant that Trezka, Itàn and Rajah were against them and maybe also against each other. However she wasn't planning on surrendering because of that.

"So you're planning on fighting with us and conquer a place on the Aridanis mission? Very bold, if I may say so since…"

"Yeah Freyu, it's good to see you too" Stith broke off his stream of words. Freyu snorted.

"Well, I hope you guys know what you're doing."

In some way he was right. The EAF warriors were the most highly trained soldiers in probably the whole galaxy, not to mention genetically enhanced. It would prove quite a challenge for both Stith and Kero to take them out.

"This is really exciting! Don't you think Azkun?" he asked the huge Ryrjhii female.

Azkun bared her teeth towards him and let out a deep low growling.

"Wow, sorry, I didn't mean to anger you" Freyu said holding up his hands in defense.

You didn't need much to anger a Ryrjhii female but it was wise not to bother them to much with loads of small talk. He placed his beak closer to Stith's ear.

"I think it's best not to say anything to her. Most of the time she's cranky."

"I wonder why that is" Stith replied with a slight undertone of sarcasm in her voice.

Suddenly all warriors received the green light and their set of coordinates on their eyepieces. They all grabbed their guns and equipment and followed their team leader. Because no one had presented his or herself as the team leader, Azkun signaled them with a nod and a soft growl and took the lead herself. The others followed her footsteps through an exit in the energy fence that separated the training ground from the edge of the forest. It didn't take long before the Mantrins found themselves enclosed by a densely packed jungle-like forest with trees and bushes all around them and no clear road to follow. All this green provided plenty of places to take cover but, also places were the enemy could be hiding when they started. The sweet smell of flower blossoms mixed with grass and moist dirt entered Stith's nostrils and was on the verge of distracting her from the mission.

But the quick pace on which Azkun let them through the undergrowth and the heavy backpack practicing it's weight on her back reminded her why they were here. Their starting point was only four kilometers in front of them but the dense forest slowed them down considerably. It didn't take long before she could no longer hear the voices of the other teams and the cracking branches under their feet. The only sounds were now made by them and the surrounding environment, mostly the singing of birds and the rustling of small animals between leaves. All these sounds constantly kept their ears busy and it would prove difficult to filter out the sound of an approaching opponent in this cacophony of forest sounds. Luckily their scanners would be able to determine which lifeform was a potential opponent and which one not. Sogowa featured an enormous diversity of different plants, trees and animal life and this particular forest had most of the properties of a dense rainforest. That meant, extra caution since plants that contained poison or produced hallucinogenic effects were common in these types of environments.

The roof of the forest was blocking most of the warmth and light of the afternoon sun and caused the air around them to be cool and comfortable to fight in. It was a very peaceful place as it was now but that was soon about to change in a theater of war.

Due to Azkun's quick pace, they arrived at the designated coordinates sooner than expected and they still had to wait for the other groups to arrive at their positions before Otrin would give them the starting signal. They arrived at a small open spot in the middle of the forest near a fallen tree. This huge chunk of dead wood provided them with cover from one side but left them still vulnerable from three directions, especially on an open spot. Azkun was already observing the area, looking for objects she recognized from earlier missions. The EAF used the forest for training missions quite often and she had made herself partially familiar with it. If Azkun knew the terrain then they had a small advantage in case they had to run and take cover.

"We can't stay here. It's to open" Le'tan said observing the environment.

Of course everyone agreed. As Stith knew an open spot was difficult to defend. Without their scanners they could be surrounded by enemies, hiding in the tree line without them even knowing about it.

"Only one more group to go" Freyu stated, checking the progress of the others on his eyepiece.

Only moments later, all three-hundred warriors received the green light that the hunt had started.

"Any luck with the program?" Rilas asked the humans when he entered the lab again.

"I think I have an idea" Jason replied optimistically.

"We are going to do it slightly different. We start with the basis but we're building each component around that basis, protected by multiple layers of random encryption. More like an onion."

"A vegetable on Earth" he added when he saw Rilas' flattened ear.

"We going to use a construction based on layers."

"Right" Rilas replied while nodding in affirmation.

The Mantrin took his seat again and linked his console with those of the others again.

"I can't believe that they're out there right now" Rilas muttered under his breath.

His face showed signs of concern and he was tapping with his fingers on the console.

"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you" Korso tried to reassure him.

"Stith is the best gunner I've ever seen and I think that Kero's an excellent fighter himself, although he doesn't show it too often."

"Let's get to work" Chrysta suggested.

Meanwhile on the grounded _Valkyrie_, the crew wasn't sitting in one place either. Jason had contacted both them and his own ship and had told them about the plan with the cloaking device. The _Son of the Empire_ and _Highlander_ would escort the _Valkyrie_ to the edge of the Aridanis system. After that the team would be beamed aboard the smaller ship for the last part of the trip. Because the _Valkyrie_ was much smaller, more agile at sublight speeds and had a much lower power signature, it was the ideal ship for the mission, if the cloaking device would prove to be compatible with their power systems.

The officer currently in command of the _Highlander_ had contacted Starfleet via Admiral Cunnington and they had agreed to supply them with a cloaking device for the duration of the mission. Starfleet was a little reluctant in its use of cloaking technology but since this surgical mission required one, permission was granted. Cloaking devices were not standard equipment and the request went to all kinds of channels before it was eventually accepted. By closely studying Klingon and Romulan cloaking technology Starfleet had eventually come up with a version of its own, only to be used in those critical missions that threatened everything the Federation stands for. After this crisis was over the device had to be returned to Starfleet. The _Valkyrie_ crew had agreed and shortly after that, qualified Starfleet personnel had beamed over to the Republican craft to arrange things for the technology that would arrive soon.

"So we can't raise shields while the cloak is up?" Cale asked.

"It would consume too much power" the Starfleet officer with the gold-accented uniform explained.

"Besides, the cloak would interfere with the shields causing a complete failure of both systems."

Cale was currently working with Gune and the supervising Starfleet engineers on the project of making room inside main engineering for the cloak. Extra power conduits had to be rerouted and the cloak needed an interface to communicate with their systems and to regulate the power flow. Engineering was currently a mess but that's what you'll get when you're tampering with ships systems.

"What about weapons?"

"Same thing. You'll need to drop your cloak before you can fire weapons but since your mission is infiltration and not combat, it shouldn't be much of a problem."

"I hope you're right" Cale replied with a laugh.

"Because if this thing fails while we're behind enemy lines, we'll burn up as tiny little pieces in the atmosphere of Aridanis IV."

Cale's wristcom. beeped.

"Cale, this is Akima. I've just received confirmation that the Federation ship carrying the cloaking device will arrive here within the hour."

From the holographic image of Akima on his wristcom he could tell that she was on the bridge. She had been busy with some engineers herself to reroute the controls for the cloaking device to a bridge console for easy access.

"Okay, tell them, we're standing by to receive the device" Cale replied.

"I already did" she confirmed.

"By the way, the Captain has send his report and they're making progress. We need to get everything in working order as quickly as possible."

"Thank you, we're doing our best here. Cale out."

He looked at the Starfleet Lieutenant and smiled.

"Let's get back to work."

"My idea" the man replied in a friendly manor while grabbing his hyperspanner.

Stith had her strong clawed hands tightly wrapped around the rifle. Her weapon was armed, scanners were active and she herself was on full alert. Aware of everything that moved around her and on the lookout for her opponents, she and Kero followed the black Ryrjhii Mantrinesse through a denser piece of forest. They had left the open spot behind them and were currently moving through the undergrowth, constantly scanning the environment with both equipment and their eyes. The weapon was heavy and the backpack was even heavier.

"What is even in these things anyway?" she had asked Le'tan.

"Normally just extra powerpacks for your weapon, field rations, a small medkit and a different variety of explosives" he had explained.

But since they wouldn't need most of that for now it was mostly filled with just the powerpacks and a load of dead weight to become used to the weight of the backpack they would be taking with them on the real mission. Stith had been indignant at first that they had to take along a pointlessly heavy backpack at first but it wouldn't be that pointless when it was full of things that could keep you alive when they were going for the real thing. Slowly getting accustomed to the weight she just followed Azkun, crushing small branches under her feet and plowing with her claws through soft moist dirt.

Just when she began to think about where the others could be hiding right now her scanner beeped and a low-powered energy pulse missed her right arm by a few inches and hit the bark of a tree. It barely left a mark but getting hit at the wrong spot meant loss of the battle and she quickly dove behind the next tree for cover, pointing the muzzle of her weapon in the direction the shot was fired from. She noticed that the other members of her team did the same. They had adjusted their scanners to designate only Mantrins as targets and small red dots presenting her opponents danced on her eyepiece. A small number on the right side had already decreased indicating that several contestants had already been eliminated from the game. Luckily the trees were fairly thick, otherwise seeking cover wouldn't provide enough protection due to a Mantrin's considerable width because of their large legs. Just when she thought she had lost them, one of them appeared from behind a tree and aimed his weapon at Freyu who was caught by surprise. The shots missed him by a few millimeters and he quickly dropped to the ground firing his own weapon instead. He too missed but thereby blocking the other Mantrin's route for cover so that Stith could take her shot. He tried to dive but the plasma pulses hit the other Mantrin in the middle of his chest on his way to the ground disabling his weapon and ability to fight back. He growled in frustration and headed back to base, knowing he was beaten. When Stith looked at Azkun she saw that the Ryrjhii female nodded approving just before she pointed her weapon at her.

"Get down!" she growled.

Stith immediately let herself drop to the soft dirt and felt the warmth of plasma pulses whining over her head. She saw how Azkun got hit on her bare leg, the energy barely leaving a mark while the black Mantrin fired her own weapon. Craning her head to look over her shoulder, Stith noticed how the other Mantrin got hit on his shoulder plate, sending him home right after his teammate. While they had been concentrating on the first opponent, the others member of his team had made a surrounding movement to put them in a tight spot.

"Clever" she thought when she saw three red dots closing in from different directions.

"Take cover!" Le'tan yelled just before the storm of plasma bolts started in between them.

The light blue flashes glanced off the trees and hit both Stith, Kero and several of the others on their legs and other unprotected parts. "Aargh, crap! They shot my tail!" Kero exclaimed whipping the strong muscular extension of his body in annoyance while he dove behind a tree. When the gunfire stopped it was a wonder no one was hit on the armor yet and Azkun was already trying to determine their location, snorting in annoyance. Stith who had crawled through the dirt tried to do the same. With three targets still left and no clear line of sight, one of them eventually had to make the first move. In the mean time Stith had noticed how the number counting the number of contestants still in the game had steadily decreased in the last couple of minutes and was still decreasing indicating heavy firefights must be going on somewhere else.

With only one-hundred and thirty-four contestants still in the game, more than half of them had already been eliminated. With the smell of moist dirt in her nostrils she was lying half on her knees behind a tree for cover, searching the ground for something that could serve as a distraction. She knew about the fact that the hearing and reaction of these soldiers had been improved and she wondered if they also did something to their nerves to make them more careful about what they would shoot. A small rock was lying near her and she reached out to grab it in her strong fist.

"Probably only get one shot at this" she thought squeezing the rock.

She signaled the others who payed attention to what she was doing and lifted the rock in the air, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Azkun nodded and waited for her signal just as the others did. With no exact location of where her enemies were she lifted her arm and tossed the rock into the opposite direction of the one they wanted to use as an escape route. Lightning fast she and the other members of her team came into action when the gunfire started again. She jumped on her legs as fast as she could and ran into the other direction using the trees as cover while the blue pulses glanced off trees and slammed into the ground. The heavy backpack and armor didn't make this easy and it didn't take long before she and Kero were panting from exhaustion. The others seemed to have far less trouble with it but they had the extensive training they lacked. Luckily for her they eventually reached a small trench where they could seek cover from their followers. All five of them jumped inside and pointed their guns into the direction they came from, trying to spot any movement behind the trees. The red blips on their eyepieces were still there and closing in on them.

"Stop panting!" Azkun hissed while keeping her ears low to avoid being seen. Stith and Kero were still trying to catch their breath and tried as best as they could. Both of them heard the very faint footsteps, very carefully closing in. Their opponents probably wondered why they couldn't see them while their scanners were clearly showing that they were there.

"Open fire on my mark" Azkun formed the words with her lips without making a single sound.

Just when they were about to attack Stith heard surprised voices coming from dead ahead.

"What the?..."

Right after that a few plasma pulses flew over their heads but someone had clearly been hit. More fire was exchanged and Stith noticed how the number of contestants decreased again. Her group remained silent in the meantime and watched for the outcome of the little firefight.

"I'm hit!" someone yelled.

A few moments later the forest fell silent again.

"Screw you Rajah!" a female voice Stith recognized as Trezka's yelled in frustration.

"Sorry girl, this one's mine" the Prince's voice replied.

"Crap! It's Rajah" she thought.

He and Trezka had probably been in different teams and judging by the words exchanged, Rajah had hit the female Sogowan on her armor. Peeking over the edge of the trench she watched how Trezka and the two remaining others of her team walked back to base together with one of Rajah's team members.

"So they had been fighting Trezka a few moments ago. Interesting."

"So what do we do now?" Freyu silently asked the others.

"Quiet!" Azkun hissed giving him a dangerous look.

Stith could tell that the female Ryrjhii really wanted to win this game. She had placed the muzzle of her weapon low over the edge and was trying to snipe her targets out. Observing Azkun, Stith decided to do the same as her and so did the others. It was a stealthy tactic and she wondered how this was going to end but Rajah and the others didn't show themselves although her scanners showed that he was there, just like Rajah's probably picked up the biosigns of their group. But just when she thought they had the advantage, the lines on her eyepiece indicating the border of the designated combat area began to close in on them from behind. Behind that barrier, her sensors didn't reach. Stith nudged her left neighbor.

"What's happening?" she asked barely audible.

"Otrin is narrowing down the combat area" Le'tan explained.

"Because we have fewer and fewer contestants still in the game, he's adapting the combat zone to their number. He likes to keep it a little more exciting. But if we cross that virtual barrier, all our equipment will shut down and the game is lost too."

Stith cursed inaudible. The barrier was only a hundred meters from the tips of their tails and it probably wouldn't take long now before they had to climb out of their natural hiding place. With only twenty-eight combatants still fighting, they need to hold out just a bit longer.

"Maybe it's best if we split up" Kero who was lying next to Stith suggested.

"If we ran out as a group, they can't take us all out at once" he whispered.

Azkun seemed to like the Prince's plan since she grumbled softly in approval. While the four of them were busy with the escape plan it was Freyu who spotted movement behind one of the trees left and discharged his weapon at the unfortunate Mantrin who happened to walk in his line of sight. Azkun immediately turned her head towards the Sogowan and for a second it looked like she was going to bang him on his head for ruining their plan but she pricked her ears when she heard the sound of a cursing male Mantrin. She relaxed and gave him an approving nod while concentrating on taking the rest out. Rajah's team still had three members left and with the barrier now closing at thirty meters behind them it was time to make a run for it.

"Go!" Azkun roared grabbing Freyu by his armor with her incredibly strong arm and nearly dragging the Mantrin through the dirt with her.

The Sogowan tried to get on his feet and walk on his own strength but was so overwhelmed by her strength and sudden move that he tumbled over his own legs and crashed to the ground in the open.

Stith, Kero and Le'tan had each taken another direction and sped out in front of the invisible barrier of the battlefield closing in from behind. The only thing they had was the three red dots still visible on their eyepieces but no visible targets. The shooting started again but in the haste to get away and seek cover they had no idea where the shots were coming from. Eventually Stith had to watch how Le'tan got hit in the back and lost his ability to fight with them.

"Damn, I'm out!" he yelled resuming on a normal thread back to base.

A quick look at the amount of opponents left she knew instantly that he wasn't in the team. Seventeen left, only seven more to go.

"C'mon" she said to herself with clenched teeth using a tree for cover to try and spot the members of Rajah's team.

With only a few green dots as markers where the others were there was no way of regrouping without risking being taken out. She was on her own from here.

Kero was also hiding behind a tree. But he had sunken on his knees to make himself smaller. The others were nowhere to be seen and he too had to rely on sensors. One of the five green dots of their team had been taken out and he prayed that it wasn't Stith. Otherwise it was going to be very difficult to convince Otrin to let her be on the team. Holding out as long as possible was the best option for now but the left barrier of the battlefield was on the move too and if that wasn't bad enough, a few more red dots approached him at hundred and fifty meters from the opposite side of Rajah's team. If they this would come to a fight, he would be caught in the middle of it.

"Get up you idiot!" Azkun hissed from behind the tree she used as cover.

Freyu scrambled to his feet again and joined her behind the tree, half his face covered in dirt.

"If you hadn't dragged me through the mud, I wouldn't have tumbled and…"

Azkun cut her hand across her throat to shut him up and peeked from behind the tree to see if she could spot the others or the enemy. Freyu noticed that the tree was actually far too small to provide cover for both of them so he headed to the next one, unaware that someone had him locked up on the scanner.

"What are you doing?! Get down!" the Ryrjhii roared.

She jumped on him from behind dragging him with her to the ground to evade the blue glowing plasma pulse on its way to the target. Lightning fast Azkun fired her weapon on her way down, taking out her opponent before he could fire another shot. However she didn't fall down to the ground fast enough to evade the shot meant for Freyu and she got hit on the armor on the left side of her chest at the height of her shoulder. If she had fallen only a few centimeters further to the right she had crushed the smaller Sogowan under her weight but at the moment Freyu probably wished that she had. When he scrambled to his feet for the second time and seeked cover behind the tree he was afraid to look Azkun in the eyes. But when he did he curled up in shame and partial fear. He had ruined it for her and she knew it.

The look on Azkun's face promised death to everyone around her right now and he could have sworn that if her weapon had still worked she would have shot him to tiny bits. Instead she let out a load angry growl that bellowed through the forest like rolling thunder. She stamped past him back to base baring her teeth towards him with a low growling, her feet leaving deep imprints of compressed dirt and crushed branches in the ground. He was glad that she left him in one piece but now he was alone. But when he spotted the number on the right side of his eyepiece he was amazed. Ten! He was in! He had made it till the last ten. Shortly after that he heard Otrin's voice in his ear from the small speaker attached to the eyepiece.

"Congratulations contestants. The ten of you still standing have qualified themselves for the Aridanis mission. Return to base. Otrin out." But Freyu's happiness quickly dissipated when he realized that he was the reason that Azkun wasn't on the mission. He began looking for the others but ran into the last two members of Rajah's team first, including the Prince himself. "Well done Freyu, looks like you've made a friend" Rajah laughed because he had seen what happened. "Looks more like a arch-enemy" he replied gloomy with drooped down ears.

Stith and Kero eventually joined the three and congratulated the others with their victory when they walked back together. Stith however noticed Freyu's unhappy mood and assumed position next to the Sogowan.

"What's wrong Freyu? You've failure written all over you and yet you're with us for the real thing."

"Azkun got hit and it's my fault" he replied sadly.

"Well, I think you're lucky to be alive then" Stith replied with a soft laugh.

"What happened?"

"It was so stupid!" Freyu exclaimed in anger.

He was mad at himself. Mad that he ruined it for someone else because of his own inattention. It lasted only for a fraction of a second but on the battlefield it's more than enough to get killed. Mistakes are not tolerated and the ones who make them get punished immediately.

"It was a reckless move! I should have stayed with her instead of just walked out into the open!"

Stith didn't know what to say anymore. She agreed with him on the fact that it was a stupid move but she didn't want to demoralize him further by emphasizing it.

"You should offer her an apology. Maybe she'll understand" she said.

It didn't last long before she realized how hollow her words actually sounded. There was no way the Ryrjhii female would forgive his blunder. But Stith wasn't aware that Freyu had already made up his mind. He didn't want to make an enemy out of Azkun so he would consult with the Commander about his next move.

A couple of minutes later back at the base, Otrin and the rest of the EAF warriors welcomed the winning contestants. Although everyone had wanted to be on the mission, most of them were happy for them and congratulated them with their victory. The ten surviving warriors lined up in front of the Commander while the others did the same in a separate group. All of the winners tried to look proud, making themselves as tall as possible with their heads held high. All of them looked happy except Freyu who was looking for Azkun in the ranks. He noticed her standing in the fourth line of the other group staring back with eyes flickering with anger. He turned his head away in shame. Freyu's ears were hanging in their lowest position possible and he was staring sadly to the ground in front of him. Everyone was quiet when Otrin raised his voice.

"Three-hundred warriors entered the forest today and only ten made it back. Everyone fought with great determination but in the end only ten were destined to join the Aridanis mission. And it is this mission that must succeed in order to ensure peace in this quadrant. If we let those Machines continue as they do now, we will eventually be overrun and the Mantrin species along with many others will cease to exist."

Otrin fully turned his attention towards the ten victors.

"You have showed today that you're worthy of the title of elite warrior and I want some special attention for Stith and Kero, who are not members of the EAF but have showed something very important."

Otrin smirked towards them showing a few missing teeth.

"With enough determination, everything can be done and with enough determination, we will be victorious!"

Otrin raised his fist and so did the group of warriors who unleashed a thundering clamor. They all cheered loudly and swore loyalty to their Emperor and Empire.

Freyu couldn't stand it anymore. Everyone thought of him as one of the heroes who had to bring this to a good end.

"Sir!" he yelled above the cheering.

Otrin pricked his ears and stepped up towards him while the cheering and chatting continued.

"Well, well, well, so you do fight as well as you talk" Otrin sneered.

"Obviously you're a better fighter then I gave you credit for."

"Sir" Freyu replied unsure what else to say.

He knew Otrin wasn't very fond of him because he talked too much for his liking.

"Sir, I shouldn't be on the mission."

"Well, if I like it or not, you made it so according to the rules of the game that means you're with us"

Otrin said crossing his arms.

"With all due respect sir, you don't understand. Azkun was out because of me. If she hadn't been hit because of my stupid fault she would have been standing in front of you instead of me."

He looked at Otrin with almost pleading eyes.

"Sir, I want Azkun to go in my place."

He stepped back, out of the line to strengthen his words. Otrin looked back at him for a moment and turned around to search for Azkun. When his eyes found hers he signaled her to come. Azkun joined her Commander and the Mantrin she unintentionally granted a place on the mission. She shot Freyu a filthy look and growled softly.

"Azkun is this true?" Otrin asked the much larger black Ryrjhii female.

She glared down her muzzle and confirmed with a low growl and a nod.

"Decide for yourself" Otrin said to Freyu.

Freyu turned his attention towards the fearsome Ryrjhii afraid to look her in the eyes.

"Azkun, I want you to know that I'm sorry for what happened. It's my fault that you're not on the mission and I've made up my mind. I want you to take my place. You're a far better fighter then I am."

Now that he had spoken out the last word he finally dared to look up at her. The expression on her face had changed from anger into confusion and eventually a spark of compassion broke through her initial anger. She stepped up to the smaller Sogowan and sunk through her massive double knees to be at a more equal height with him. For a short moment she embraced him. It wasn't love or something but more of a deeper 'thank you'. Freyu was completely overwhelmed and he could swear that he could hear his back crack under her massive strength. Most voices around them felt silent because as long as they had known Azkun, they had never seen her doing something like this. Freyu just patted her on the back which seemed a bit diminutive in comparison because he was barely able to reach it. Her arms that were wrapped around him were almost as thick and heavily muscled as the lower part of his legs and that was considerable. When she released him and smiled it made Freyu realize that he had accomplished something that no one was ever able to do. Making Azkun smile was maybe an even bigger accomplishment then winning the game.

"I'll take your place" she grumbled lowly.

"Congratulations Azkun" Otrin praised.

"You're with us."

"Yes sir" Azkun muttered under her breath.

The Ryrjhii female assumed position in between Freyu and another Mantrin, one of the Logri race.

"I told you you'd make a friend today" Rajah whispered with a wink towards the Sogowan.

"Yeah, but apparently I did a little more than expected" Freyu replied.

When he looked up at her from the corner of his eye, Azkun smirked back. Somehow it made him happy too.

When everyone had brought their weapons and armor back to the armory and left off for the mess and a well-earned break Otrin took Freyu apart for one last time.

"Well, son. I can call you whatever I want but you really made me proud today" he said in a friendly manor.

"But I have actually lost. I made a mistake. One that would have been fatal to either me or her on a real battlefield" Freyu retorted.

Otrin placed his clawed hand on the other Sogowan's shoulder.

"You may have lost the game but you've gained a lot in return and you showed me today that you truly have a good sense of honor. It was honorable to hand over your place to someone who had the courage to save your ass. Being a good soldier sometimes means doing what you think is right and you did the right thing today."

"Yes sir, thank you sir" Freyu replied thankfully.

Otrin smirked again.

"Now go back to base, play with your friends or do whatever you do during you break" he said patting Freyu on his back.

Cheerfully, Freyu followed his Commander's advice and walked back towards the compound. He had made two new friends today and finally gained his superior's trust and that was something that was indeed more important than winning a game.


	35. Chapter 33 Call to Arms

**Call to Arms**

After having a break with the other warriors in the mess, Stith and Kero had gone back to their bunk for a little privacy. Otrin had joined them at their table and had handed Stith a holoscroll with some information that was for her eyes only. Dossiers and personal files were not allowed to leave the base and usually remained strictly confidential but this was practically the only thing left on this world from Stith's mother and as a former friend, Otrin granted Mestral's daughter exclusive permission.

Mestral had been a Mantrinesse from the colonies, the one on Solbrecht to be precise and had come to Sogowa only for her training. But when she got Stith she was forced to leave Solbrecht and find a temporary home on Sogowa for the duration of that training. Solbrecht was only a few lightyears from Sogowa but commuting in between wasn't an option so young Stith got taken away from her ancestral home and taken to a strange environment.

That was of course until her mother's untimely death. She had been on Solbrecht during a Drej attack on the human survivors from the destruction of Earth and was caught in the crossfire. Bystanders rumored about a courageous Sogowan Mantrinesse who helped to guide some of the humans to safety and thereby became a victim herself. That was the last thing she had ever heard about her mother. Poor Stith had only been about three years old when it happened. She had never known her father and with no one to take care of her, she was rapidly returned to Solbrecht and brought to an orphanage from where she was eventually adopted. The death of her mother had been the beginning of a difficult life for the young Mantrin.

"She looks just like you" Kero said with an arm around Stith's shoulders.

He was looking together with her at the picture taken from Stith's mother when she was still a fresh young recruit. The Sogowan Mantrinesse from the picture smirked, showing two rows of sharp white teeth. Her ears were bound together by the red sweatband around her head and she was proudly wearing her uniform and holding her weapon.

"Yeah, I know" Stith replied softly and with a deep sigh.

She was sitting with Kero on the edge of his bunk and holding the last remaining physical memory of her mother.

"Otrin told me I can keep the picture, as long as I don't tell the General."

Kero pulled her against him, almost feeling her sorrow and in this way trying to share it with her.

"It must have been hard for you. Losing your mother at such a young age. I mustn't think about losing my own mother one day."

"You don't wanna know" Stith replied tossing the holoscroll on Kero's pillow and holding on to him with both her hands.

"I remember myself spending hours crying myself to sleep in that orphanage. How I felt miserable that at that time."

Stith paused trying to swallow her sorrow. It slit down her throat like a rock.

"But my mother didn't tolerate me crying for no reason so I eventually copied that rule" she said releasing herself from Kero's comforting arms.

She stood up and faced him with the same strong attitude and determination as the Sogowan female from the picture, lashing her tail to strengthen her upcoming words.

"What happened to me in my youth made me stronger than ever."

She was looking into Kero's bright blue eyes with great determination.

"I need to stop whining and look towards the future."

She placed her right hand on the place between her two hearts.

"My mother will always remain here but she wouldn't have wanted me to live in the past. Let's look towards the future and do something to ensure its peaceful."

"I admire your strength Stith. I've always done that" Kero replied being proud of her seeing how she dealt with her own sorrow.

"Shall we check how Rilas and our human friends are doing?" he suggested getting up from the bed too, raising to his full height on his huge triple-jointed legs.

"You bet" Stith replied adding a laugh.

She deactivated the holoscroll and slit it under her own pillow so that it remained safe from any harm. Stith was convinced that her mother would have been proud to see her daughter like this.

Constructing a quantum virus really isn't something that's done with ease but it looked like they were finally getting somewhere. It was finally beginning to look like something that could work. In its current stage of development, the program was able to not only dent the 'fortress' program's armor but buckle its entire defense mechanism.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Jason almost exclaimed.

The Federation Captain had been working closely with the other team members for almost the entire day without any break and he was literally wiping the sweat off his forehead after the latest test. The results were coming in and this time their virus had managed to evade most of the counterattacks and almost penetrated the defending program's inner layers of protection.

"Looks like our hard work is finally starting to pay off" Rilas complimented.

"Well we certainly couldn't have done it without each other" Brian replied letting go of the control panels and turning his eyes of the screens for a change.

"Time for a break, shall I get you guys something? I'm afraid it's Mantrin food only."

"That's okay Brian" Korso replied.

"We eat relatively common so it should prove too much of a problem" Rilas said.

"Except for the portion size of course."

"Shall I get it? It'll risk less craned heads and glances" the Mantrin suggested.

"If you insist" Brian replied with a smile.

Just when Rilas wanted to leave, Stith and Kero entered the high-tech lab to check up on their progress.

"You guys are in aren't you?" Rilas said with a smirk from ear to ear.

"We are" Kero acknowledged with a smile.

"Ah, congratz to both of you. Apparently being genetically enhanced isn't everything" he said adding a barking laugh.

"I'm gonna get something to eat, you want somethin'?" he said already turning around the corner of the metal sliding door.

"We've already eaten" Kero waved away his gesture.

"But thanks for asking."

His First Officer left and Stith and Kero took a look on the virtual screens surrounding the huge circular console at the progress the humans were making.

"Well it looks impressive" Kero muttered under his breath while studying the codes and algorithms that made up the program.

"But it also could have been written in ancient Akrennian. I don't know anything about this stuff."

"Well, luckily the only thing you have to do is find a dataport and transfer a copy. That's all you need to do" Chrysta explained.

"I think I'll contact Cale and Akima. Tell them to prep the _Valkyrie _and inform them of our progress."

Korso headed on his way towards the com. center to do his thing unaware that his crew was carrying out his orders as he spoke.

"Incoming transmission" the female computer voice informed.

Akima brushed through her purple-black hair with her hand and pressed a button on one of the shimmering bridge consoles on the upper level to reroute it to the main window which turned opaque. A middle-aged man in Starfleet uniform with blonde hair, deep green eyes and portraying a friendly smile appeared on the screen. The bridge of his ship was occupied by crewmembers of various races and he was rather straight to the point.

"Wayne Russell ma'am. Captain of the Federation starship _Phoenix_. We have the cloaking device required for the mission ready for you. We're ready to transfer it to your main engineering on you mark."

"Thank you Captain, please wait while I'll inform our chief engineer of you arrival."

Akima activated her wristcom..

"Cale this is Akima. The Federation ship carrying the cloaking device has arrived, standby to receive the package by transporter."

"Copy that Akima. We're ready."

She deactivated her comlink and turned her attention to the waiting Captain on the screen.

"We're ready to receive the package Captain."

"Standby" the man replied.

"Energizing."

A few moments later she got the message from Cale that the device had arrived and that hem together the other crewmembers and the Starfleet personnel had everything under control.

"Thank you Captain, until we meet again."

"There is something you should know" the man withheld her from ending the transmission.

The tone of his voice betrayed that it was important and probably not something they could use at this time.

"Go ahead" she urged the man to continue.

"Republican command has got word from the Akrennian Military Alliance that they are going to retake the system they lost to the Machines."

"What? They'll never make it!" Akima replied in disbelief.

"That's why they've asked the Republic to aid them. More than that, they've threatened to step out of the alliance if we don't."

"Our ships are still in spacedock, we don't have anything to fight with yet!"

"On the contrary, the first five vessels have reached operational status and have been rushed out of spacedock to join forces with Starfleet and all the members of the Republic."

"This is an outrage" Akima thought.

"How do they expect to win this battle against such superior numbers? It can't be done without a whole lot of firepower to support them."

"My ship, the _Phoenix_ has been ordered to join the fleet ASAP but our forces have been ordered to back out of the fight if it seems like a desperate undertaking. We are hoping to at least weaken their fleet and delay their forces long enough to prevent another major attack for the time being."

"I wish you good luck then Captain" Akima replied not knowing what else to say.

"Thank you ma'am. _Phoenix_ out."

The Federation ship of the Insignia class left orbit and engaged its warp engines to jump to where she was needed. Akima sighed and plumped down into the chair on the main steering deck that belonged to the Captain. The burden of war weighed down heavily on all of them and especially when people were about to die. It was fighting to the bitter end or die and Akima wasn't planning on letting the latter happen so easily. She hoped that their plan would work out as it involved the least number of possible casualties. Not really knowing what else to do she headed down to main engineering to check if she could be of any help. Just when she wanted to leave the bridge her Captain contacted the ship to inform her that they were making progress and that the mission was about to begin with a slight change of plan. When Akima heard that her best friend Stith would be on the team she felt like a bucket of ice splashed into her stomach. That came as a very unpleasant surprise and made her realize how endangered the lives of the people she cared about actually were. It was something she feared from the beginning of this war and she had never felt it pressing down on her as much as it did now.

It was probably because of the difficult fifteen years she and the rest of the human race had endured. The constant threat of the Drej had been a reason for most species to stay away from humans to prevent them from becoming a victim themselves. That day, the day that the New Marrakech drifter colony was attacked had been one of the most tragic experiences of her life. Many good people died that day, including friends and other people close to her. The lonely hospital ship from nearby Solbrecht had been far from enough to save all those critically wounded people. And now, with a major war raging across the quadrant they were on the verge of losing everything they had regained in such a short period of time. Claiming you're fighting for a good cause to justify your war is but a weak excuse but this was fighting purely for survival. She could only hope that Stith and also Kero knew what they were doing.

_**Authors note: Music track 22.**_

Captain Michael Jericho was gazing out of the window of the roomy Captain's ready room, his thoughts drifting back to the original Earth. A Republican cruiser was moving in formation besides his own ship, the _Arcadia,_ into the background of the stars passing by at warp_._ Three of the five brand new vessels forming the beginning of the Republican fleet, including his own were of a newer design, but all five of them were upgraded by the latest standards in the area of technology and firepower. His hands absorbed the warmth of the hot cup of tea he was holding in his hands. He brought the cup to his mouth, the taste of jasmine tea bringing him back to Earth which was now more than fifteen years ago.

He was a man in his late forties and had once been an officer in the Earth Human Corps, the military and space bearing organization representing the Earth by that time. He was stationed aboard the _Eisenhower_ military carrier as a bridge officer, a position he had been very proud of. He remembered being eager to get his own command at that time. The _Eisenhower_ had been an impressive piece of engineering and it was his dream to take command of such a vessel at one day.

But after Earth's destruction and year upon year of trying to survive in the cold darkness of space he had almost lost hope that the human race would ever find a new home again. Almost, unaware that a little man named Cale Tucker had always been carrying the secret to a new home for humanity with him. Of course he had heard about Cale's father, Sam Tucker and his famous Titan Project but that had seemed like a long time ago at that time and no one had ever heard from that ship again. Until that single day that the news about a new human homeworld began to spread throughout the Galaxy like a running fire. The day that he and the rest of humanity could finally let go of fifteen years of dark and cold space and breathe a real atmosphere again, feel solid ground under their feet and the warmth of a sun on their skin. And now he and four other brave starship Captain's were on their way to make sure it would stay that way.

"Captain's log, RSS _Arcadia, _February 7th, 3044. The first ships from what eventually will be the new Republican fleet have been hastily rushed out of spacedock. My crew is still working to get all of the secondary systems working properly but we're battle-ready for as far as I can tell. We didn't even have time to get to know each other but I'll start to remember those names as soon as I'm sitting in that chair. I had never thought I would take command of a ship such as the _Arcadia_ one day. She´s truly a colossal ship with an evenly-sized crew. I'm currently taking her to the place we're she's been made for, the battlefield. We're on route to the rendezvous coordinates where we'll meet with the rest of the assault fleet to reclaim the Xirosa system from the enemy that calls himself the Machine Dominion. To be honest, I don't think that this is a wise course of action. But Command has ordered us to assist in the attack to prevent the Akrennians from leaving the alliance. We need their support in this ongoing conflict."

A gentle chime interrupted his log entry.

"Computer pause. Go ahead?"

"Captain? We're approaching the rendezvous coordinates. If you would please come to the bridge."

"I'm on my way. Computer save log."

The computer confirmed with a series of beeps while Michael emptied his cup.

"It probably would have tasted better back on the original Earth" he thought.

The tea had a soothing effect on him, which was something he thought of as advantageous. A Captain had to serve as an example for his crew and no crew would benefit from a nervous Captain on the bridge during wartime. He smoothed the wrinkles out of his navy blue uniform and left his ready room through an automatic sliding door.

When he entered the huge two level bridge of the _Arcadia_ his crew appeared ready to follow his command although he knew, very few of them had actual experience in space combat situations. They were all sitting behind large consoles with virtual projected screens showing all of the ships internal and external systems, tactical overlays and other important information. Besides him and his First Officer, there were a total of eleven bridge officers stationed at the front rear and both sides of the more or less round bridge. A huge wall-dominating viewscreen currently showing the forward bow of the vessel made up the forward section of the bridge. It made Michael proud that he was in command of this ship as he stepped down the small three-stepped stairs leading to his ready room on the left side at the aft of the command center.

"Status?" he asked taking place in the comfortable Captain's chair next to his First.

"We are preparing to drop out of warp sir. The fleet is standing by" the second officer from the four stationed at the front of the bridge stated. He was a young man.

"Probably had a quick-course in starship maneuvering" Michael thought.

"Do it" he ordered.

"Aye Captain. Dropping out of warp at the designated coordinates."

The humming of the massive ion-based warp engines dropped to a lower level when the ship left it's cruise at warp and dropped to sublight speeds. The _Arcadia_ was a modified version of the new _Atlantis_ class _Dominator_ carrier. The two point two kilometer long ship was shaped like a massive aircraft carrier in space with the hangers carrying several dozen _Dominator_ squadrons situated along the sides. The huge bridge- and control tower however was placed at the aft with a smaller one up front that could even serve as a redundant escape vehicle. The area that would normally serve as the flight deck on an aircraft carrier was now heavily armored and covered with numerous gun turret emplacements. The ship's modifications including stronger shielding and upgraded weaponry making it the flagship of the Republican fleet. It was especially not called the Earth fleet because of the alliance and this was something that really showed. For the most part, his crew was human but a few aliens were already present.

"Probably part of some exchange program to improve the relationships between humans and other species" Michael thought noticing the alien officer behind the console on the right side of the bridge.

He was a D'amaran and he had already even seen an Akrennian or two. When he had taken his own little tour throughout the ship he even thought he had seen a Mantrin in one of the large mess halls on the lower decks. They were all wearing the same uniform thus part of the same crew and he wanted them to get along with each other as good as possible.

Michael's attention was currently aimed at the large viewscreen currently showing the combined forces of the Republic and the Federation. The large amount of the aggressively designed Akrennian vessels made up nearly two-third of their forces. Furthermore he counted six sleek Federation starships, four clunky Vusstran cruisers, three Denali vessels and a couple of Indarian warships. The D'amarans had send a part of their own Mizrate Armada in the form of a dozen small fast attack ships and the Solbrechtians backed-up their fleet with three cruisers and two heavily shielded hospital ships. Probably the most powerful vessels of course were provided by the Mantrins. Three massive warships, overloaded with blistering weaponry would provide a lot of firesupport for their own forces to break through. The only species in the alliance that didn't present itself with massive firepower were the Qu'utians but they provided their aid in the form of themselves. Despite their pacifist nature, a fair amount of the tall lizard-like aliens were stationed on several vessels of the Republic and some other species that were willing to take them aboard. Qu'utians were very clever and could certainly make a difference in the engineering and medical division.

"Looks like the fleet is standing by and waiting for us to leave Captain" Michael's com. officer reported.

Indeed, the fleet looked complete but the thing that worried him was the fact that the _Arcadia_ was probably the only large carrier in the entire fleet. The Federation did have a ship that looked like it was capable of carrying fighters but two carriers just wasn't enough to provide enough distractions for the hundreds of small attack fighters they had to face at Xirosa. In the limited time they had, most species hadn't been able to modify enough of their smaller craft to function as drones. The meant that they were heavily relying on support fire from the larger ships in order to break through to the enemy carriers. Destroying those was priority number one. They also had to account for the stationary defenses that had probably been erected by the Machines in the mean time.

"Well let's give 'em the signal" Michael replied with a smirk.

"Sending… Acknowledged sir. Coordinates of the Xirosa system have been entered into the navigational computer. Standing by for warp speed."

The Xirosa system wasn't far from their current location and it wouldn't take them longer than half an hour to reach it. Michael gave the order with a slight nod. The fleet regrouped, took formation and jumped to warp, most vessels flanking the massive _Arcadia_ since it was the largest ship. The two other Republican cruisers of the _Pegasus_ class, the _Pegasus_ and the _Bellerophon_ were flanking the _Arcadia_ at her sides while the two _Valkyrie_ class interceptors, the _Chimaera_ and the _Griffin_ flanked her from above.

"All right, let's see if those _Dominator_'s are worth their name" Jericho thought.

He had his crew calibrate targeting scanners, shield configurations and had everyone carry handweapons in case the shields failed and they had to defend themselves against those vicious spinner drones. Though he wasn't a man of speeches there were certainly Captains in the fleet that were.

Ayko was standing on the bridge of the _Tsun'rhaa_. This was her command center, her domain and she ruled it like she wanted. But this time she had to do it a little different than usual. Their bitter defeat at this same battleground left some members of her crew with doubts and she needed to eliminate those doubts before taking her ship into battle once again, for the sake of her crew. She pulled her decorated knife with the crest of her clan embedded into its design, studying the blade for a moment. It was sharp, as always and it was going to be used to draw blood.

Ayko was standing tall in front of her Captain's chair, her crew, as she noticed from the corner of her eye, watching every movement. Silence stretched itself out over her bridge when she performed her own preparing ritual for the upcoming battle. She brought the shimmering blade down to the palm of her hand and pressed it down so that it cut in her flesh. She felt a slight stinging pain when metal made contact with skin and cut right through it, almost without resistance. Blood oozed from the cut and trickled down where it felt audibly on the deckplating when she slit the blade over the width of her hand.

"By the blood of my clan, I swear that after this battle there is only one side still standing. And that side will claim victory under the banner of the Akrennian Empire and nothing less."

Ayko had closed her eyes and had almost whispered the words. When she opened them again she was certain she had erased any doubts. Some of the bridge officers performed the same or similar rituals and it was silent until one of them made clear what flashed through everyone's mind.

"For the Empire!" the officer roared raising his bloodied left fist. Everyone repeated his yell and it made Ayko smirk.

This was a fine crew on a fine ship that would either earn their name as warriors of the Empire in battle or go down with the ship trying.

Preed not only observed but participated in this ritual as well, this time really feeling part of the crew. He had a great admiration for his Captain and beloved one and if everything went well, he would be part of the clan of this strong woman himself one day. But the more he thought about it the less likely it seemed that it would ever happen. He was considered an outcast on his own world and it would prove very difficult for him to reintegrate into a society that was so based on social status. Her father had a position on the top of the ladder and probably wouldn't be very happy that his daughter had chosen an outcast as mate. But he had more pressing things for concern, like surviving this battle. Ayko had sworn on the blood of her clan and that meant either be victorious or die in battle. In either case he was going to fight with what little honor he still had left. Preed took his place behind his console just like the others and familiarized himself with all of the controls once again. He would be controlling a section of the ship's turrets and missile launchers and he wanted to make every shot count.

"Captain, we're approaching the edge of the system" Trynan reported.

"Standby to drop out of warp with the rest of the fleet" Ayko replied.

The expression on her face made clear that she wanted to kill something rather badly.

"Well here we go" Preed thought with a sigh.

The alliance fleet exited warp near the outer planet of Xirosa V. The gas giant wasn't a strategic position to defend and the tactical officers of all ships picked up the largest concentration of enemy ships around Xirosa III and the rest of the inner planets. The only thing left of the initial defense systems of the Akrennians was a junkyard floating around Xirosa IV and the other habitable or terraformed planets, Xirosa III and I. The weapon platforms were completely turned to pieces of twisted metal forming a potential danger for smaller ships that wanted to enter the atmosphere. A collision could cause a fatal hull rupture exposing the passengers to the vacuum of space. If that wasn't bad enough the high-speed entry into the atmosphere would burn the occupants to a crisp.

The Akrennians were leading the attack and their largest assault vessel, commanded by Fleet Commander Phleg took the lead. "This is Fleet Commander Phleg to all ships. May glory await us at the end of this battle! Long live the worlds of the Republic!" The transmission ended and Captain Jericho watched how the massive Akrennian command dreadnought set a course for Sogowa III and prepared for battle.

"Sir the Akrennian ships have raised their shields and are powering up their weapon systems" one of his officers stated.

"I think it would be wise to do the same" Michael replied.

"Aye sir. Bringing the ship to red alert status."

Michael stood up from the Captain's chair and raised his voice.

"All hands this is the Captain. The moment is there to engage the enemy. Battlestations! Hanger decks prepare for _Dominator_ squadron launch!"

_**Authors note: Music track 23.**_

When the allied fleet reached the outskirts of Xirosa III, sensors were gradually picking up more contacts. Scanners and consoles on all ships beeped and went wild.

"Sir, scanners are detecting about five hundred and fifty eight vessels amassing to attack. I'm also detecting numerous reinforcements on the far side of the planet. They'll be here in approximately fifteen minutes."

"How many ships are we talking about Ensign?" Jericho asked already preparing for the worst.

From what he had heard from their first attack on this system, the Machines could easily have another five hundred or even a couple of thousand vessels waiting nearby. The closer they got, the more he was beginning to think that they were just fighting a delaying action until they eventually would be overrun by the almost impossible odds they were facing.

"Hard to tell sir but they have at least another five hundred ships coming in."

Jericho was not planning on letting his crew notice that he was worried about this from the beginning.

"Let's turn them all to burning junk!" his voice bellowed over the bridge with so much determination that he almost believed it himself.

Some members of his senior staff smirked and turned their attention to their consoles.

"Weapons online, shields to full, _Dominator_ control reports ready to launch squadrons."

"Then do it" Michael ordered.

_Dominator_ control was in essence a secondary command area one deck below the main bridge that was in control of all the _Dominator_ attack drones. The small computer-controlled fighters were all interlinked to the consoles and computer systems on this command deck but could also partially function on their own in case the command deck had taken too much damage. The attack force launched from the _Arcadia_ would be coordinated from here and this would be the first time that the fighters were going to be used for the real thing.

Six large doors revealing an equal number of massive hangars opened on the port and starboard sides of the _Arcadia_. When these doors were fully open they released a couple of dozen squadrons in rapid succession from the ships internals. The nimble fighters seemed diminutive in comparison but had a lot of firepower for their size. The _Atlantis_ class carrier carried a total of three hundred computer-controlled _Dominator_ attack fighters and a good portion of that total was out there in space right now. The fighters moving in groups of ten had taken an arrow formation and flanked the larger vessels of the fleet from all sides. Right after the launch the huge blast doors closed again sealing off the ships hangars and protecting the internals from any damage. The _Arcadia_ might have been built as a carrier, it was capable of delivering quite a punch herself. The numerous laser turrets and photon missile batteries with their joined firing arcs covered every angle of the ship so she didn't suffer from a blind spot. Her Captain hoped that it would be enough.

The Captain of the _Tsun'rhaa_ wasn't planning on letting her ship's weapons rest either. Three crewmembers including Preed and Kryfar shared a section of the turrets and missile launchers and would focus on defending the ship from every angle as good as possible.

"I was impressed with your performance last time Lieutenant, don't fail me this time" Ayko sneered.

"No doubts Captain" Preed replied with a laugh.

His long fingers were dancing over the console, designating distant targets for the turrets to pick.

"For your sake, you better hope so. Because if we live through this, you will not."

Preed chuckled softly under her remark. He knew she only talked to him like she did to all her officers because she had a reputation to keep up with. The crew would notice if he was the only one she was more lenient to so he merely thought of her harsh tone as the other Ayko. The Ayko not in love with him but with her duties and her job as Captain of this vessel.

_**Authors note: Music track 23.**_

Enemy vessels were coming in fast and heavy. Attack fighters first, larger vessels afterwards. As Michael knew, they would use their smaller fighters to keep the fleet busy enough to allow more powerful ships to penetrate their defenses.

"Jericho to _Dominator_ control."

"Go ahead Captain" the officer in charge of the second deck replied over the com. system.

"The enemy fighters pose a threat in numbers, have the _Dominator_'s focus on equal-sized ships."

"Don't worry sir, we'll keep them off your back" the man replied.

The first wave of enemy fighters was met by a large force of _Dominator_'s. The small ships designed by the Earth faction of the Republic were accompanied by what little fighters the other members had managed to upgrade. The rapid-fire laser cannons quickly turned most of the first wave into shrapnel giving the enemy no other option but to move in their larger vessels without as much cover as planned. More waves of the small ray-shaped fighters were coming in and it didn't take long before the area in between the two fleets was filled with quickly dying explosions and flying debris. The larger ships of both fleets began firing their massive artillery and other long range weapons having most Captain's of the alliance fleet grab their armrests. The _Arcadia_ trembled when the discharges of ion cannons and laser artillery pounded on the energy barrier that made up the forward shields.

"Forward shields are down to ninety eight percent. It looks like she can take quite a beating Captain" the tactical officer reported.

"Let's hope it stays that way Lieutenant. We still have a long way to go" Michael replied just as another blast hit the shields sending small shockwaves through its interior.

With the _Dominator_'s taking care of the smaller attack ships, they were able to hold position much longer than normal. The _Arcadia_ and most other vessels of the fleet were large and very powerful but also slow and hard to maneuver. The smaller ships, like the _Griffin_ and _Chimaera_ were much faster and capable of delivering strikes where it hurt the enemy the most. Michael smirked satisfied when one of his officers reported that the two _Valkyrie_ class interceptors had managed to take out one of the enemy carriers with a precision strike rendering its launched craft out in the open harmless. A couple of disabled ships were floating away into different directions in the middle of the battle, taking hits from both friendly and enemy fire until they exploded. However the battle wasn't faring well in one direction only.

"Sir, so far we have lost a total of seventeen _Dominator_'s to enemy fire."

"Luckily that doesn't mean seventeen good pilots Ensign. Against how many of theirs?" Jericho wanted to know.

"So far, we are losing one of ours against eight of theirs."

"That's reasonable enough" Michael replied, his mind way off.

"Right sir, but they're quick learners and they're studying our tactics as we speak. It probably wouldn't take long for them to come up with…"

The rest of his sentence was lost and replaced by Michael's own thoughts.

"Something doesn't feel right" he thought.

"It's too easy."

Like he was speaking of the devil, a group of enemy destroyers broke through their defenses and headed straight for the larger vessels of the fleet, including the _Arcadia_.

"Sir! Six enemy destroyers are moving to intercept! They're locking weapons!"

"Return fire!" Michael yelled although he knew it was already too late.

The enemy ships had unleashed a devastating barrage of fire from their forward weapons array and the bright glowing energy blasts were coming in from above.

"All hands this is the Captain! Brace for impact!"

In cold sweat, his heart pounding in his ears and his fingers squeezing in the armrests of his chair he watched how the volatile energy collided with the dorsal shields protecting the flat armored hull between the main bridge tower and the smaller one up front. The fraction of a second it took for the corresponding shockwaves to hit the command tower caused his officers to grab hold of their consoles. Lights flickered, sparks erupted out of overloading power relais as people all over the ship who didn't had the chance to grab hold of something collapsed to the deck. When the Captain of the ship looked up at his viewscreen again he had expected the whole midsection being broken in two halves under all this violence but the shields somehow managed to hold under this much force.

"Damage report!" he demanded looking at the damage and disorder the attack had caused on his command deck.

"Dorsal shields are down to twenty-eight percent! Another one of those and we're finished."

"Have the _Bellerophon_ and _Pegasus_ cover us!"

The com. officer looked at his console with the worries dripping from his face.

"Sir, the _Bellerophon_ is in bad shape. They've taken heavy damage from other attack waves."

"Have them fall back! Send in a flight of _Dominator_'s to cover their six! Now take out those blasted destroyers!"

"All ready on it sir" his tactical officer replied, his fingers dancing over the shimmering consoles like he was playing the piano.

The gun turret emplacements situated all over the _Arcadia_'s hull locked on various targets simultaneously and fired their laser blasts making short work of shields and armor. A couple of photon missiles left their launch tubes homing in on their designated targets, disintegrating hulls and ripping through interiors.

The battle continued for a moment, without both sides really gaining the upper hand although losses occurred on both sides. The Akrennian Captain's were fighting aggressively, sometimes sending their ships right into a cloud of enemy fighters with all guns blazing. However this was risky tactic that sometimes resulted into the exact opposite of what they wanted to accomplish.

"No!" Ayko hissed between gritted teeth when she watched an Akrennian battlecruiser, same class as the _Tsun'rhaa_ falling prey to a group of enemy vessels.

Laser blasts tore through the hull, causing the atmosphere to quickly drain out of the burning hulk until the engines exploded and eventually the warp core breached.

The resulting antimatter explosion caught a couple of enemy ships in its blast and sent a shockwave in all directions.

"Damn, you fool!" the female Captain growled.

She slammed her fist on the dented armrest of the Captain's chair and asked for a status. The _Tsun'rhaa_ had taken quite a beating and her bridge was a mess. A broken conduit was dangling from the ceiling spreading sparks over the deckplating and scorched places on the metal walls marked the places were fires had started until the crew had quickly put them out. Djorath tossed the debris from his console and tried to make sense of all the status reports and data coming in.

"I managed to get the shields back up to thirty-eight percent but there's not much I can do. We're out of missiles and they managed to blow out quite a few capacitors from our laser cannons. I'm sorry Captain."

Ayko cursed violently. Those bloody Machines had messed up her ship and left her without a weapon to fight with.

"Then we die with honor!" she yelled.

"Trynan! Bring us about and prepare for ramming speed! Every coward who wants to leave the ship now is free to do so. See you in hell!"

Preed looked at his Captain with astonishment.

"She was actually planning to do it. But what should he do? He didn't want to die. Not yet at least."

Unfortunately it wasn't up to Preed to decide. A Machine ship had detected the Akrennian battleship and fired its weapons. The crew grabbed hold of something tight again when a set of explosions coming from below deck at the aft section reached their ears.

"Captain, that last hit took out our engines."

Ayko screamed in helpless anger, getting up from her chair in pure delirious rage.

"They are even denying us an honorable death! Can you believe that?"

Just when Preed thought it couldn't get worse, the viewscreen showed one of the enemy's attack fighters heading straight for them.

"Djorath!" Preed yelled too late.

The lonely laser blast the Akrennian tactical officer still managed to fire didn't even dent the other ship's shields. It was coming closer and closer. When Preed realized what that ship was up to it was too late to warn the rest of the crew. He got up from his chair and pulled his Captain who was still yelling in anger and frustration with him to the ground in front of the Captain's chair protecting her from harm. When the fighter made contact with their hull Preed had the feeling that the universe collapsed in on him. The deafening sound of explosions, screeching metal and Ayko underneath his body still yelling in his good ear about what the hell was going on made him forget everything. The last thing he heard from the _Tsun'rhaa_ was the panicking screams of the members of the crew he had been part of for only such a short time just before a piece of the ceiling made contact with his head. Darkness fell in front of his eyes when his head felt motionless besides Ayko's.

"What is happening?" Jericho yelled.

The remains of the first enemy fleet had been nearly eliminated as the second fleet waiting on the far side of the planet had come in to reinforce them. He just watched how several of the enemy fighters just broke through their defensive lines and started an attack run on their fleet, although not on ordinary one.

"Sir, I believe… It looks like their using their smaller attack fighters as suicide bombers."

The officer couldn't believe his eyes and so couldn't Jericho.

"Sir the fleet is taking heavy damage."

"Cover them! Launch all remaining fighters!"

"Sir, if they fly one of those fighters into the hangars the results would be disastrous. We can't open…"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do on my own ship Ensign! Signal _Dominator_ control to open those blasted doors!"

"Aye sir" the officer obeyed with hesitation in his voice and concern all over his face.

"Lieutenant, contact the remaining ships of the fleet. Tell them we have to retreat. We'll cover their backs as good as possible."

His crew carried out his commands as he watched how several ships fell prey to the enemy's suicidal attacks. In addition they enemy warships had started use their ferocious shockwave torpedoes. These fearsome weapons were able to break through weakened shields to cause massive damage on a ship's hull, sometimes fatal. One of the Mantrin warships was limping away at thrusters only, leaking atmosphere from several hull breaches and blue plasma from her engines. If they didn't vent their antimatter, the superheated plasma would eat away critical components in the propulsion systems causing a cascade reaction that could lead to a reactor breach. When he watched the Akrennian command ship with their Fleet Commander launching escape pods he knew he was now more or less the person in command of this operation. The escape pods got picked up by battle-damaged Akrennian ships who followed his orders and began the retreat. The large but still pretty maneuverable Starfleet vessels also backed out of the fight, some of them suffering from heavy damage while other ships joined them. All ships were still firing weapons but only to keep the suicidal ships off their backs.

"Bring us about, heading 184 mark 015."

Michael's helmsman began on the time-consuming job of turning the_ Arcadia_ to make her escape at warp. The enemy took advantage of this fact and send a couple of ships after the large carrier. Michael had to watch how a considerable force of enemy ships was coming in and headed straight with their noses for the dorsal section of his ship.

"Target those ships!" he yelled.

The fire given off by the dorsal laser cannons was impressive but far from enough. A couple of the enemy fighters drilled into the hull at full speed causing massive structural damage to the ships outer hull and the surrounding areas. The ship shook violently, power failed on all decks for a couple of seconds and the destruction caused secondary explosions all over the ship.

"Captain, hull integrity is severely compromised! Damage control teams have been dispatched but we are in no condition to continue fighting!"

The _Arcadia_ had turned sufficiently enough to make her escape but paid a high price. When Michael looked at the dorsal section of his ship, it was like looking at hell itself. The area that would normally serve as the flight deck of an aircraft carrier now had gaping wounds in its surface that reached more than three decks deep. The damaged sections were quickly shut off by force fields and blast doors but the bodies of several dozen crewman, both human and alien had been ejected into space. If the explosions hadn't already killed them, the rapid decompression, extreme cold and the almost perfect vacuum of space would make sure they did. It was a horrible sight. For a few seconds he felt like the ship was part of him. And the holes were the places where his heart was positioned. He wanted to say something but the only thing coming out of his mouth was inaudible because of his stomach trying to escape through the same opening. He was torn loose from his feeling of complete powerlessness by one of his officers.

"Sir! SIR! Shall we jump to warp?"

"Yes. Yes do that" he whispered still staring at the tiny figures of frozen bodies floating in space.

"Our hull is severely damaged Captain. We can reach warp three point two at most."

He didn't even hear it. When the _Arcadia_ jumped to warp it left something behind. It wasn't something materialistic. It was the confidence of her Captain to command his ship.

Apart from the lost lives and wreckage of ships they had left behind on the battlefield. No one had noticed that something more important was lost. They had lost the battle and had only delayed the enemy's forces but it was something perhaps far more important. The wreckage of a ship was floating away from Xirosa at considerable speed. It's direction? Deep space as it was now. But it wasn't just a piece of wreckage. Aboard the remains of the AMS _Tsun'rhaa_, part of the crew was still among the living, their breathing bodies lying motionless on the floor. On who the task of saving these otherwise lost souls?


	36. Chapter 34 Dying Ship

**Dying Ship**

Still unaware of the desperate situation created by the unstoppable Machines, Captain Jason Pierce and the rest of the five-headed team could finally wipe the last drops of sweat from their foreheads. In such a small amount of time and with the hot breath of the Machines in their necks, they had managed to create the thing that had to save the Galaxy and perhaps more from utter destruction. It wasn't a ship or a weapon of conventional sorts but something that couldn't even be touched, yet it held a subtle destructive power that could take out the heart of this dangerous enemy in the blink of an eye. And this 'weapon' was completely harmless to anything organic but instantly lethal to those who weren't. The most powerful and intelligent quantum-based virus ever created was released from its sandbox environment and placed on a secured data-module for rapid-deployment once a data-uplink node was secured. The program would active itself and terminate every computer system it was interfaced with, in this way taking out even more than just the AI itself. It addition, it would set the primary power core on overload so that it would take down the entire complex with it to be absolutely sure that there wouldn't be a trace left of the entity.

"Congratulations everyone, we did it!" Jason applauded while removing the module.

The lab where he and the other members of his team had been working on the virus was filled with the high-ranking officers of the base, the members of the infiltration team and a couple of scientists who wanted to observe this moment. Everyone began to cheer and applaud, the Mantrins patting the human on his shoulders with such force that he almost gave way. Jason pressed the module into Kero's hand, squeezing into the Mantrin's large hands to strengthen his words.

"Make sure it reaches its destination. Go, and regain your honor for your House and Empire and make your father proud."

Kero thankfully looked at the Starfleet Captain and assured him that he would do anything in his power to make sure it did, even if he had to die for it. Jason brought his finger up in a 'no' gesture.

"I'm toasting with you when the distinctions are conferred" he replied with a smirk.

Later that evening, not only Kero and Stith but also Rajah prepared for their last night of sleep in a safe environment. They would leave the base early tomorrow morning and probably arrive at Aridanis during the night time, providing everything went well.

It was early in the morning, the sun rising above the hills of Sogowa's landscape. When its first rays touched the grass-overgrown hills accompanied by the chirping birds flying over the hidden base, a heavy rumbling sound disturbed the peaceful sounds of nature. Two large horizontal doors opened on the flat terrain adjacent to the training ground partially revealing the internals of a large underground hangar. A large trans-atmospheric shuttle was standing on the main take-off platform that rose slightly above the hangar's ground level. The VTOL shuttle was ready for take-off, its six massive thrust-vectored engines build into its delta-shaped wings warming up with a droning that became louder and louder as the last members of the strike team boarded the craft. Combat gear was already brought on board and when the checklist was worked off, flight control gave the shuttle's pilot the all clear signal.

"Looks like the General wasn't bluffing when he told us he would take us back to the ship in style" Jason said to his First who was frowning at his remark.

"I'm sorry sir, but I honestly can't see what's so stylish about this shuttlecraft!" Chrysta replied trying to get above the noise of the engines.

Buckled up into the large relatively comfortable chairs in the roomy pressured passenger compartment of the shuttle he could feel the power of the engines being eager to push the craft up into the sky and beyond. This type of shuttle was actually a large troop transport used to bring the EAF soldiers up into orbit were a large warp-capable ship would bring them to the actual mission ground. It had a large capacity and that was why most of the seats, except for the ones up front were empty. There was one more of these shuttles parked in the underground hangar but due to the long time of peace, they hadn't seen much service for a while. However due to recent events, that was about to change, even if they managed to remove the Machine threat from their quadrant for good. The trans-dimensional gates still formed passageways for hostile species to emerge.

"I've always wanted to fly with one of these" Rilas said to Stith and Kero who were all three sitting on the same row.

There was one row on each side of the main fuselage, each one three seats wide. That would say, Mantrin seats, because two humans could share one seat with enough room to spare.

"And why is that, if I may ask?" Kero yelled trying to get above the deafening noise the engines were currently producing.

His heavy voice was shaky because of the trembling and the loading door in the aft that was still open didn't help much either. When this door finally closed the passengers were finally able to communicate with each other on a normal volume. The droning of the engines was still audible but not as clearly present as with the door open.

"I don't know" Rilas replied with a laugh.

"When I was young, I just thought this thing looked cool. These are the same ones they used for the regular infantry of the Imperial Armed Forces."

With the engines in their vertical position, the droning rose to a maximum when the pilot pushed them to full power. A very slight bump could be felt by the passengers when the shuttle's landing gear detached itself from the platform. The engines trying to counteract gravity pushed the huge transportshuttle hovering far enough above ground level for a safe flight after which the pilot pivoted them between horizontal and vertical position so that the shuttle could start making speed for its space entry. The use of six high-powered engines gave the shuttle a surprising amount of acceleration and it didn't take long before the base of the EAF blended with its surroundings as seen from the window.

"Enjoying the ride?" Rajah who was sitting between the rest of the soldiers asked with a big smirk.

"Very" Brian and Korso who were sitting one row behind him replied in unison.

The uneasy look on their faces told otherwise because the force working behind their backs held them tightly pressed in their seats. Looking outside the windows, they could see that the shuttle had already brought them above what little dotted clouds floating into Sogowa's almost perfectly clear sky and judging by its steep trajectory and steady speed it wouldn't take long before Sogowa's atmosphere would be replaced by the cold vacuum of space.

"Well this little visit to your homeworld definitely changed my mind about your people. Not all of you are born with a gun."

Rajah frowned and slightly flattened an ear at Brian's remark.

"You seriously didn't think that all Mantrins are warriors?"

"Frankly, I believe I did" Brian replied with a chuckle when he saw the amazement on the Mantrin's face. After all, his species did have the tendency to be pugnacious and aggressive.

A few moments later the shuttle had reached high orbit of the planet and began its leap towards the _Son of the Empire_'s starboard docking port. The docking bay was also an option but since this transport shuttle would return to the planet it wasn't the best one. The _Valkyrie _was going to be used for the last part of the trip to Aridanis and from what her Captain had heard, it recently got a new addition. The cloak had been installed and the Mantrin workers on the space port had craned their necks when the ship suddenly vanished, leaving nothing but seeming empty space where it was standing.

The shuttle decreased its speed until it was equal to the orbiting Mantrin warship and the pilot could bring his shuttle closer to the docking port. A soft clunk and a loud hiss confirmed what the pilot said over the intercom a few seconds later.

"Okay guys, everybody out. Docking port is pressurized and secure."

Climbing out of the large seats, the muscles of the humans felt a bit stiff. Being tied to the seat while constant force of rocket engines was pressing you down wasn't really their idea of a comfortable ride. They left the shuttle through its port airlock and found themselves standing into the wide internals of Kero's ship. When the last passengers and equipment required for the mission was aboard the hatch behind sealed and the shuttle undocked, plotting a trajectory for a fast re-entry into the atmosphere of the planet, flames licking its outer hull when the ship touched the layer of air surrounding the Mantrin homeworld.

Two officers of the Imperial Guard had been ordered to take Commander Otrin and his team to the briefing room for the final briefing. Kero would leave the ship in the capable hands of Rilas during the mission but wanted to say a few final words to his bridge staff before he would begin. The Goureg Prince lead the humans to the bridge together with Stith and the acting Captain Rilas who was secretly eager to take command of the massive _Ikana_ class warship. Commanding such a vessel was his dream and he now got the opportunity to take a bite from it. When the huge turbolift, designed by Mantrin standards reached the command deck, Kero's smoothed the wrinkles out of his uniform shirt and stepped proudly on the bridge, occupied by a couple of familiar faces. He was surprised to find the two Sijal sisters on the bridge with the oldest one sitting into the center chair. Naea jumped up when she noticed him entering the bridge in company of the Republican and Starfleet officers and saluted.

"Captain on the bridge!" she announced with a firm voice after which everyone turned around to face their Captain.

"Good to have you back sir. I kept your seat warm for you" she said offering Kero his chair.

"Well, don't get too comfortable Lieutenant" Kero replied in a friendly manor offering her his toothy smile.

_**Authors note: Music track 24.**_

"I want you all to take a good look at Commander Rilas here because he will be your Captain in case I happen to fail" he said patting Rilas on the shoulder.

"Sir?" Naea asked a bit non-understanding.

"In case you haven't heard yet. I'm going to be on the mission. It's probably my best and only chance to regain my honor for myself and for my House and I have to do this."

Kero began to make one last round over his bridge, passing by each station, looking at each crewmember and even patting some of them on the back as a goodbye.

"If we do not speak again, it was a great pleasure to serve with all of you and I wish you all luck with your future career. It really hurts me to say this and I honestly hope that this is not a definite farewell."

Morale on the bridge dropped to a low level when the Captain was making his preparations to leave. A lot of ears drooped down and some members had a trouble with the lump in their throat.

"At last, I expect you all to serve under Rilas like you would have done under me. Goodbye everyone."

Kero looked his First in the eyes and smiled.

"Rilas, she's yours. Take good care of her since the possibility is always there that I might return to take her of your hands. I know you have the tenacity and determination to command a ship of your own. Good luck Captain."

Rilas smiled weakly but his voice remained strong and confident.

"Oh I expect you to. If I remember correctly you've promised me that we would share a glass of your little secret remember?"

Kero smirked and squeezed into the shoulder of the acting Captain.

"Computer transfer all command functions to First Officer, Commander Rilas from the House of Eyani."

The computer confirmed and Kero left the bridge.

"Let's go" he said wanting to take Stith with him.

The Sogowan Mantrinesse however was standing next to her bridge console, the chair now occupied by no one less than Kiké. Her long brown-reddish mane was bond together with a pink bow giving the young Mantrin an even more girlish appeal. Kero was surprised to see her as a bridge officer but that was probably because they needed someone to replace Stith. Stith herself was congratulating the young Fjetahna with her position but warned her that she too might return to claim her place again. Kiké just laughed assuring Stith that she would gladly let her take over once she returned. As the former Captain of the ship he too decided to have a word with her.

"You´re not going to tell me that you are a weapons specialist too?" he asked the young girl with a smirk.

Kiké greeted him with her girlish laugh like always.

"To be honest sir, I have a degree in various areas of expertise, including tactical so you could say I'm quite versatile."

"Keep going that way and you'll be commanding your own ship very soon."

"Thank you sir" she replied.

After a few last words he and Stith left the bridge on their way to the briefing room leaving the humans and Rilas who was now officially in command behind.

Rilas took his place in the comfortable Captain's chair looking from his First Officer who now happened to be Naea to the Captain's Pierce and Korso, and Commander's Kenneth and Winter.

"I shall contact your ships so you can transport back" he offered.

"That won't be necessary for us" Jason replied pressing his combadge.

"Pierce to _Highlander._"

"_Highlander_ here, go ahead Captain."

"Two to beam up."

The Federation Captain and his First Officer beamed back to their own ship vanishing in a pattern of tiny blue marbles leaving only Korso and Brian behind.

"You might wanna contact the _Valkyrie_ first since I have absolutely no idea where they're hanging out right now."

It was Naea who replied first.

"I think I can be of help" she said a smile playing over her black beak characteristic for Fjetahna.

"Captain if I may?" she asked standing up from her chair.

Her long brown-reddish mane bond together in the same way as her sister Kiké but with a ribbon instead of a bow was swaying gracefully behind her back. Her fluffy tailtip in the same color was gently whipping over from one side to the other.

"Wow, she's really gorgeous" Rilas thought staring at the Mantrinesse's figure.

From her strong legs with the hoof-like feet to her well-trained feminine body and from her full breasts to her gorgeous deep-orange eyes. When he thought about the fact that he was still looking for a mate, he realized he just found himself one.

"What I'm I thinking?!" he thought overwhelmed.

He was in command for barely more than one minute and his thoughts were already drifting away to his beautiful First Officer. Restoring himself from this sudden moment of his mind playing tricks on him he granted Naea permission to do her thing.

"Open a channel" she ordered the operations officer.

"Channel open ma'am."

"_Son of the Empire_ to _Valkyrie_? _Valkyrie_ do you copy?"

After a few moments pause the face of Akima appeared on the screen. Korso saw that his entire crew was present on the bridge and ready to follow orders.

"Captain, as you are aware we have just made some modifications to your ship. If you wanna take a look at the port side please?"

Her voice sounded really amused and that promised something. When Rilas ordered the viewscreen to display the area of space at the port bow of the ship, Korso and Brian saw nothing but empty space. But upon closer look he though he saw a rippling effect. As if space itself had become liquid. However the effect increased and took the shape of a ship, his ship. The rippling silhouette of the _Valkyrie_ took solid form, indicating the newly installed cloaking device was working at optimal efficiency.

"Outstanding" Brian brought out.

Pleased and intrigued by the new technology Korso requested a beam out.

"Impressive" Rilas complemented.

"The Empire once had managed to cloak only a few small objects but we've abandoned the concept after too many of us thought of it as a coward's tactic to use such technology in battle."

"Yeah but this time we have no other option" Korso replied.

"Can't say I disagree."

"See ya Captain" Korso said just before he dematerialized off the warship's bridge.

After all three ships had plotted the collective course to Aridanis, the small taskforce jumped to warp, beginning the long and painful mission that would decide the Galaxy's fate.

The wreckage of the Akrennian warship _Tsun'rhaa_ was drifting into the cold and merciless nothingness of space. It's surviving crewmembers were unaware of the fact that they were still alive until one of them opened its eyes. Groaning from the pain in the back of his head, Preed tried to move, only to find out that he was half buried under a pile of rubble from the collapsed ceiling. The sparking of broken power conduits made him aware of the current situation. When he slowly opened his eyes he could vaguely determine the face of his unconscious Captain, who he vainly had tried to protect with his own body against the darkness of the ruined bridge. In his weakened and wounded state, Preed was barely able to free himself and his Captain from under the rubble, the stinging pain in his back preventing him from using too much strength. Piece by piece his managed to push the piece of ceiling blocking his way to freedom away. His sudden struggle and the dust in the unfiltered air made him cough, causing more pain on various places of his body. His could vaguely see the flickering of consoles against the darkness of the destroyed command center, indicating that there was still some power left. The question was: For how long? Since they hadn't been picked up by another ship, they must have forgotten them in the haste of getting out of the mess. His first thought was sending out a distress signal but he realized that could also be picked up by the Machines.

"Crap" Preed thought.

"This was a pretty screwed up situation."

Trying to find out if he wasn't the only one alive he tried to wake his Captain first. But when his hands found an object made of solid cold metal sticking out of her body he realized that his Captain wasn't going to wake up any time soon. A half a meter long piece of metal had penetrated her chest possibly causing massive damage to her internal organs. In his disoriented state and the dark surroundings of the bridge, he finally found out that his waist was covered with her blood causing sudden fear to arise in his chest.

"She is dying."

Checking her pulse and breathing, only to find out that it was very weak caused his brain to start working at top speed. Hampered by the pain in his back he found his way through the rubble obstructing the bridge. When he reached the barely functioning ops. station he found an unconscious Iyu still in her chair. The sand-colored female Akrennian suffered from blood loss from a wound on her head. Her head was hanging to the side and blood trickled down her face to the tip of her beak from where it dripped in her lap. Preed gently tilted the female's head to see if he could wake her, softly shaking her motionless body until she started to move and groan.

"Arrgh" she grumbled slowly bringing her hand to her sore head.

"Iyu, are you all right?" Preed asked knowing that it was a silly question.

Of course she wasn't all right. He wasn't a medic but even he could tell that she was suffering from a concussion and a possible skull fracture.

"What does it look like?" she coughed, spitting out the blood caused by a blow against her beak.

The flickering console in front of her didn't provide enough light to see something and it didn't seem like it was still functioning however it didn't hurt to try.

"Iyu, we have to send out a distress signal, do you think you can get sensors back online?"

Iyu tilted her head towards him, still supporting it with her right hand since she felt like her neck was barely able to carry its weight.

"What happened?" she brought out with a soft groan.

"One of their attack fighters began a suicidal run of some kind" Preed explained.

Iyu cursed when she looked at her hand she had pressed against the wound on her head.

"I'll try to find the emergency medkit" Preed said already beginning to work his way through the darkness to the back of the bridge where he presumably could find one.

He stumbled over a support beam that send him straight to the deckplating causing stabs of pain in every limb. He let out a soft cry and when he opened his eyes he had closed against the fall he looked at the lifeless body of one of his crewmembers. It was Djorath, the grey-skinned crossbreed Akrennian tactical officer with the unusual blue patches of fur over his body. He was lying on his back with his neck was twisted in an unnatural position and his chest penetrated by several pieces of debris. His motionless face was a mask of pain, the eyes wide open. Preed closed the poor Akrennian's eyes and whispered something that would grant Djorath a safe passage to the afterlife.

"That the God's of Akrennia may take pity on this brave warrior that died in battle."

Realizing that Ayko awaited the same fate if she didn't receive help soon he hasted himself to the back of the bridge and forced open the compartment with the medical kit. He wasn't a doctor and the small case didn't contain the right equipment that could save his Captain's life but at least he would be able to treat Iyu's wound and give her something for the pain so that she could concentrate on contacting the people that could. Finding his way back to the front he found Iyu still with her bleeding head in her hands, growling in pain. When he opened the case, a small light build in the cover went on so he could see what he was doing.

"Let me give you something for the pain first" Preed mumbled trying to make sense of all the different medical instruments.

Luckily they were marked and he was able to find the correct one with the limited amount of light available. After he gave Iyu the shot in her neck she relaxed, feeling the pain dissipate immediately. Iyu let out a few sighs of relief until she finally looked at him.

"Can you give me another one of those?" she asked with a funny voice.

"That hole in her head is driving her crazy" Preed thought.

"No you've got enough for now. I need you to try and make contact with someone who can get us out of this wreck before the air runs out."

"But I'm still not feeling very well" Iyu replied with the same voice.

She was rolling with her eyes and dizzy from the blow against her head and the drug that had to suppress the pain.

"There is only one way to do this" Preed thought putting the medkit aside.

He turned her chair towards him and grabbed her firmly by her shoulders.

"Iyu, listen to me. You have to send a distress signal, or we'll die. The Captain is severely wounded and needs help. Okay?"

Iyu however was becoming delirious and began to behave like a child.

"But I don't wanna do that, I wanna go to sleep" she whined.

"I think I'm a bit nauseous. I have to throw up."

To add deeds to her words she turned her head to the side and threw the contents of her stomach on the deckplating. The sour stench of vomit found its way into Preed's nostrils making him feel sick himself. However it cleared up Iyu's mind a bit since she now turned her attention to the flickering console.

"Wha' do you wa' me to do?" she asked with a double tongue.

"I'm gonna try and wake the others. You have to send the distress signal so someone can get us out of here."

"Can I go to sleep then?" she asked softly.

"Yes, you can sleep if we're out of here. It's not safe."

"All right, all right."

She began following his instructions and from what he could tell, she was doing the right thing and not just typing random instructions on her flickering console. He hoped that someone other than the Machines would pick it up soon otherwise Ayko would _**hemorrhage to death.**_Preed picked up the medkit and began to take a look at her neighbor Trynan who was regaining consciousness by himself because he woke up from him talking to Iyu.

"Trynan" Preed said touching the helmsman's shoulder.

"Preed? What happened?" the grey-furred Akrennian groaned.

He screamed in pain when he tried to move his left arm that had an open fracture at the height of his elbow exposing the yellowish bone tissue. When Preed opened the medkit to treat his injury he also noticed the third degree burn on Trynan's right cheek, leaking blood and fluids on his leather military outfit and in his fur. His console had exploded right in his face which he had tried to protect with his other arm which got the same treatment over a larger surface. Luckily the medkit was equipped with a tissue regenerator which was able to heal the damaged tissue quite rapidly.

"One of those things rammed us. Everything is destroyed" Preed replied because there was no way of getting this ship operational again in the middle of space.

"What about the rest of the crew?" Trynan asked with his teeth clenched together against the pain.

"The com.'s dead, just like pretty much everything else. I doubt there are many crewmembers left alive."

"And the Captain?"

"In bad shape. She won't make it if she doesn't get any help soon. Neither of us does by the way since life-support is failing as well."

When Preed finished treating Trynan's right arm he placed the tissue regenerator in the same hand.

"Treat your wounds with this while I'll check up on the rest. I'm sorry we don't have anything for your broken arm."

"That's okay" Trynan replied.

"I think I can… Ahh, dear mother. She was right when she told me to stay at home" he growled.

Preed continued trying to help wounded crewmembers to regain consciousness. He found two more dead and one relatively uninjured until he eventually found Kryfar. The army green Akrennian First Officer was pinned in his chair by a piece of metal that had penetrated his left shoulder and the chair locking him in this most painful and uncomfortable position. If it had been earlier he probably would just let him die but Kryfar was still breathing and letting him die like this was something he just couldn't do. Kryfar woke up with an aggressive growl, opening only one eye to face his biggest rival on this ship. He let out a laugh at his own dire situation when he faced Preed in the darkness of the destroyed bridge.

"You're really enjoying this aren't you?" he sneered.

"Having me pinned down in my own chair like this. Completely turned over to your mercy?"

Preed stared back through the relative darkness, his Akrennian eyes weaker in the dark because of his desert-like homeworld.

"Oh shut up Kryfar, I just wanna get off this wreck just like you" Preed bit back because of Kryfar's insufferable way of pronouncing the words.

Even now that his own life was in danger, he was still a jerk.

"But wouldn't it be great just to let me die? You can be First Officer."

"If you kill her too, you have your own command" he said nodding at Ayko who was still lying unconscious on the deckplating.

"Shut up and let me help you Kryfar" Preed said taking a look at Kryfar's injuries with the help of the light from the medkit.

Cuts and bruises were easily healed and giving him something to make the pain more bearable wasn't the problem either but the piece of metal was going to prove something of a problem. Carefully watching Preed while he was helping him Kryfar didn't spoke a word. The untrustworthiness of his species was quite well known throughout the spiral arm and he was genuinely surprised that Preed helped him without anything in return.

"Now we have to get that thing out of you" Preed mumbled.

"Well, just pull I would say" Kryfar muttered.

"You sure?" Preed asked.

"Well, it won't come out on its own" Kryfar sneered.

"There you have a point" Preed replied.

"Wait."

Now that Trynan was finished with the tissue regenerator he collected that vital piece of medical technology first before helping Kryfar.

"Hold this" he said pressing the device in Kryfar's right hand.

"Seal the wound as soon as I can get this thing out."

He grabbed the sharp elongated piece with both hands pulled with all the strength still left in his battered and tired body. No drug could suppress the pain currently experienced by the _Tsun'rhaa_'s First Officer. Kryfar yelled and called every curse word part of the Akrennian vocabulary. Blood gulfed out of the double sided wound staining the leather of his uniform before he began to heal the tissue. This was rather tricky for the device since the wound was literally a hole in his body but at least he managed to contain the bleeding. Preed tossed the blood covered sharp metal object to the back of the bridge were it couldn't get in the way and helped Kryfar to seal the wound on the side of his back. Kryfar loosened up his stiff neck with a cracking sound and glanced over the remains of the bridge until his eyes found what he was looking for. His unconscious and defenseless Captain was lying on her back in front of the Captain's chair, pinned down by the piece of metal that had penetrated her chest. An evil laugh played on Kryfar's lips, undetectable by Preed until the green-skinned Akrennian started to move in her direction.

"What are you doing?" Preed asked carefully watching as Kryfar approached his injured superior.

"I never liked her attitude" Kryfar muttered.

"Always complaining. Never good enough. I'm sick of it."

In what little light he had, Preed though he saw the flickering of the blade of a knife slipping out of the sheath.

"You're going to kill her?" Preed asked in astonishment.

Kryfar let out a malevolent laugh.

"Neah, I'm just gonna make sure that she'll never be able to command a ship again."

Getting ready to mutilate his Captain, Kryfar carefully approached her, trying to find the best way to make sure his plan worked. If she was unfit for command, he would automatically get a field promotion to Captain and with Ayko out of the way, he could just as easily get rid of Preed. Preed however thought fast, coming to exactly the same conclusion at the right time. He sneaked up on Kryfar and grabbed the other Akrennian's shoulder.

"Kryfar!"

When Kryfar turned his head around he didn't see Preed's fist coming that bashed in his face. Kryfar fell over the Captain's chair, bleeding from his nose and growling anger.

"Always messing things up" he thought.

"Time to keep my promise!" he yelled.

With a roar he turned around his knife cutting through nothing but empty air. Preed had already backed away and drawn his own knife to defend himself against the furious Kryfar. Beside himself with rage Kryfar dashed at him with a loud cry lashing with his knife in an attempt to kill him with a single deadly stroke that would rip his flesh and spill his intestines over the deck plating. Preed however was smaller and faster than him and dove behind the First Officer seat Kryfar's knife penetrating the back of the chair.

"Come here so I can kill you!" Kryfar yelled insane with rage.

Yelling and cursing he stumbled into the darkness of the bridge trying to find out where Preed went.

"What are you doing? We have to get out of here" Trynan called from up front.

"Stop yelling, my head hurts!" Iyu complained.

"Shut up!" Kryfar spat, blood and spittle flying from his beak.

Preed who had taken advantage of the distraction had sneaked up at Kryfar from behind and grabbed his neck, trying to drag Kryfar with him to the ground. His knife was cutting into the soft flesh of Kryfar's neck spilling blood over his hands. Kryfar, strengthened by the adrenaline slammed his elbow a couple of times in Preed stomach causing him to let go in pain. Preed coughed violently and collapsed to the ground, the decorated knife clanging on the metal floor. He was having trouble breathing and he was panting and sweating just as Kryfar. He could really feel the air becoming thinner now. He looked up into the bloodthirsty eyes of Kryfar gleaming in the dark. With his knife held high and the blood trickling from his broken nose he was getting ready for the death blow.

"Anything before you die?" he brought out with a sparkle of insanity in his voice.

"You're insane" Preed panted.

"That's good enough for me" Kryfar replied.

Just as he wanted to plant the knife into Preed's head to end his life a devastating blow hit Kryfar on the back of his head. He began to stagger, his legs suddenly unable to carry his weight and collapsed to the ground. Behind him was Trynan, with a long piece of metal debris in his uninjured arm. He tossed it away and looked over the unconsciousness Kryfar to Preed sitting on his knees and having trouble catching his breath.

"I always knew that he was power hungry. Are you all right?" he asked offering the other Akrennian some assistance by stretching out his hand.

Preed took it, beginning to lose all of his remaining strength. The carbon dioxide levels were rising in the thinning atmosphere and it wouldn't take long before people were gonna start losing consciousness again.

"Thanks" he brought out with effort barely able to walk straight.

The lack of enough oxygen made him dizzy and disoriented. With Trynan helping him he made it to the front of the bridge with a last look at his dying Captain and the motionless Kryfar.

"Don't worry, I knocked him down pretty hard" Trynan said when he saw Preed looking.

Trynan's left arm was dangling powerless beside him, the drugs suppressing the pain. The other Akrennian officer left alive he got to know as Klegg was helping Iyu who was still talking with a funny voice and trying her best to assist where possible.

"Do we have sensors?" Preed asked biting his teeth because of the pain in his stomach.

Kryfar hit him pretty hard and it would certainly hurt for a while.

"Only short range" Klegg replied.

"I managed to launch a probe but sensors are barely functioning; it extends the range only by two lightyears. The only good thing is that the collision has knocked us on a course away from the Xirosa system and out of the danger zone."

The Akrennian had a brown-reddish skin color and two instead of one horns on his snout. A larger one up front and a smaller one behind it. He looked friendly and had only a few minor injuries when Preed had found him but the nasty blow on his forehead had knocked him unconscious just like the rest.

"Luckily we are able to send a distress call but the com.'s down so there's no telling if someone picked it up."

"Aargh" Preed growled in frustration.

With help possibly lightyears away and an atmosphere that became harder to breathe by the minute the situation was beginning to look pretty dire.

Moments later, just when he began to give up hope, Iyu's barely working console began to beep. Preed flicked his only good ear, surprised that someone actually picked up their cry for help.

"A ship?" he asked full of hope his lungs burning from the high carbon dioxide levels in the thin air.

"Possibly" Klegg replied panting heavily.

"There's no telling if they picked up our distress call."

Preed shook his head. They could still be two lightyears away.

"Iyu, try to send them a message" Klegg panted.

"Iyu?" he repeated shaking her shoulders.

Iyu's head had fallen on the console. The tiredness, concussion and lack of oxygen had finally caused the poor Akrennian woman to collapse. She was still breathing but unconscious just like they would be in a few minutes. Klegg slowly lifted her injured head off the console with Preed's help and took over from her.

"Preed" Trynan's voice sounded weakly.

"Trynan" Preed brought out stumbling to the other console.

With the carbon dioxide reaching toxic levels Trynan was losing all of his strength just like Iyu and was barely awake.

"Before I go, I want to thank you for trying to save our lives."

"You're not going to die. They've almost found us. You've gotta stay awake."

The furred Akrennian coughed violently through his panting.

"I bet the Captain would be proud of you."

"Don't give up now" Preed said.

"Trynan. Trynan!"

But his head had fallen aside and he was now in the same state as Iyu. His life slowly slipping away, unable to do anything about it.

"Ayko."

Ayko was the first thing that crossed his mind when Trynan lost consciousness. As fast as his legs could still carry him he sunk on his knees beside her. She was still breathing but it was very faint and irregular. He heard Klegg coughing violently and knew both of them could go any second now. Preed grabbed Ayko's cold hand in his, not planning on letting go of her until death would separate them. The darkness of the ruined bridge of the _Tsun'rhaa_ was replaced by a complete one. Preed could feel his eyes falling shut, the last coughs of Klegg faded into nothing. The cold deckplating was the last thing he felt when his numb body hit the ground. Preed watched his life pass by in rapid succession before at last his mind finally shut down, leaving him with nothing but dreamless Akrennian sleep.

"Captain I'm picking up a distress call."

The bridge of the USS _Highlander_ was on full alert. The failed attack on Xirosa had spread through the entire sector and had caused every ship that travelled through this region to remain on heightened alert.

"Audio only."

"Well put it up" Jason ordered.

They had to travel past Xirosa and because of the number of destroyed ships, there could very well be survivors of the attack.

"It's pretty garbled. I'll try to clean it up a bit."

A lot of static came through at first but the transmission could vaguely be heard above all the background noise.

"Akrennian battlecruiser _Ts_…. Survivors… Attack… Life-support failing… Please help…"

It was cut off by crackling and after that only more static came through. Jason ended the transmission with a quick gesture and ordered his helmsman to increase speed after informing the _Son of the Empire_ and _Valkyrie_. Both their Captains had also picked up the transmission and had agreed to increase speed as well.

A few moments later, all three vessels dropped out of warp at coordinates outside the Xirosa system. A sensor sweep of the area revealed what they were looking for.

"I'm picking up a ship, or what's left of it, bearing 178 mark 045."

"Intercept. Hail them" Pierce ordered following standard procedures.

"No response Captain. Several areas have lost atmospheric containment and life-support is failing on the remaining decks. I'm picking up several life-signs but all of them are very weak."

"Bring us in to transporter range Ensign" Jason ordered his helmsman.

With assistance of the other two vessels, Jason brought his ship closer to the remains of the once proud Akrennian warship and brought its speed to zero with a tractor beam. Whole sections had been ripped off the battered chunk of metal drifting away from Xirosa and there was practically nothing left of the initial design. He was amazed that there were people still alive aboard this destroyed wreck. With help of both Captain Rilas and Korso, the _Highlander_ began beaming over rescue teams with breather masks to key area's were they could find the most survivors. This small delay in their mission wasn't such a problem and it was Starfleet procedure to respond to any distress call. Maybe the survivors of the Akrennian ship could be of help once they recovered.

After the successful recovery of all survivors of the attack Kero salvaged what was left of the ship into the huge docking bay of the _Son of the Empire_. It probably wouldn't be of much use but maybe the bodies of the died crewman could be returned to their homeworld in case the clan demanded a special burying ritual. Every species had his own way of dealing with the dead and Pierce didn't even think of it as such a bad idea. The sickbay of the _Highlander_ was crowded once again when he signaled the other Captain's to get underway. Jason himself decided to bring a visit to sickbay himself. Maybe the other Captain could provide him with some firsthand information about what the Machines were up to when she regained consciousness.

Voices. He couldn't here clearly what they were trying to tell him but he could say for sure that it were voices. They sounded friendly, caring and the people those voice belonged to were not going to hurt him. Slowly the voices became louder, more clear and Preed finally realized what had happened. His lungs burning because of the lack of oxygen and the carbon dioxide slowly poisoning him. His last moments with his dying Captain aboard the crippled _Tsun'rhaa_. It was all finally getting through when his brain slowly started to function normally and he realized he had escaped from death once again. Help did arrive and just in time because his body had already given up on him. It was his second near death experience in such a short period of time and far too close for comfort.

Preed was slowly getting his senses in the rest of his body back and decided to pry open his eyes to look into the world of the living. Bright lights, just like last time stung in his visual organs as he granted them time to adjust to the level of lighting. The bipedal creatures walking through something that must be a sickbay judging by his condition were wearing bright colored uniforms, hair and a pink-colored skin.

"Humans" he thought.

This was a Starfleet vessel for sure judging by their uniforms and the tiny figures of the communicators pinned on their chests. The burning feeling was still present in his lungs and when he took a deeper breath he had to cough causing him to curl up on the biobed in pain.

"There's another one getting awake" a doctor said speeding towards his bed.

"You're safe now" the man assured him.

Preed felt the warm touch of the human's hand on the exposed skin of his shoulder.

"The others?" Preed brought out weakly looking at the unconscious Akrennian lying on the bed on his right.

"Give him another five cc's of triox" the doctor instructed after which one of his nurses quickly approached with a hypospray filled with the appropriate dosage.

"My crew, my Captain" Preed said trying to get up but feeling too weak to actually add deeds to his words.

"You're all having severe symptoms of hypoxia, but the survivors of the attack are stabilized for now. You need to recover."

Preed barely felt it when the subdermal contacts of the hypospray touched his skin. The effect however was hard to miss as the triox eased his breathing and allowed him to ask his question again.

"Your crew will make it. Your Captain, is a different story" the doctor replied looking serious.

"Will she make it?" he asked hopefully.

Having a future with Ayko looked promising and he didn't want to lose her now. He loved the strong Akrennian woman and this time it was genuine. He had always chased after women that were unreachable to him but this time he finally felt like he found the right one.

"We've stabilized her internal bleedings for now but her injuries were severe. The lack of oxygen has damaged part of her brain. It will heal but it needs time."

The man sighed.

"She's in a coma."

Preed suddenly felt like a bucket of ice had plunged in his stomach. A coma. There was no telling how long it would take for her to revive from a coma.

"This cannot be happening" he thought feeling more miserable then ever in his entire life.

It was like the universe was collapsing in on him.

"I should let you rest" the Starfleet doctor said leaving Preed alone in his misery.

He couldn't believe what his ears just heard. But it was as if thinking alone was tiring him. He turned around to his other side and his eyes caught something that concerned him even more. On a bed similar to his, under the same white sickbay blanket laid the army-green skinned body of the most hated person in Preed's life. Kryfar had made it off the _Tsun'rhaa_ alive and with Ayko in a coma he was in command of this crew. On the other hand, the ship was destroyed and without any means to return to Akrennia the best thing he could do for now was stay with Ayko until she regained consciousness. As this was the best option, Preed closed his eyes against the tiredness and fell again in a deep dreamless Akrennian sleep once again.


	37. Chapter 35 Stealthy Approach

**Stealthy Approach**

"Captain's log, February 8th, 3044. Well, this is it. The _Valkyrie_ could very well be heading to what might be her last battlefield. The whole plan is finally set in motion. If we fail, this log will be erased from history together with the rest of this ship and its crew."

Computer pause. Joseph Korso took a sip of his black coffee. All of this Starfleet technology was great but the replicated stuff couldn't cope up with the real thing. Of course they carried a supply of fresh food but it was limited and because no one would agree with field rations, they had to agree with the occasional replicated meal if they didn't want to drop by outposts and space docks too often to replenish their supply. Not that the taste was bad, it just wasn't the same as the real thing.

"Computer resume log" Korso said after he had summarized the most relevant things that needed to be said in his mind.

"We've set course for _Aridanis_ were we will take over the team from Captain Kero's ship for the last part of the trip. I've heard about what happened at Xirosa. So far things are not looking good. The attack failed, the Machines are still at large and there's no telling what they're up against down there. It seems we've only managed to temporarily hold back the advance by delaying their actions in the Xirosa system. Suicide seems to be a new tactic because the reports say that all ships including the newly launched flagship RSS _Arcadia_ took heavy damage from the impacts of enemy attack fighters. The _Dominator_s however did a good job, both during and after the fight when Republican forces were in full retreat. In this way they managed to contain the losses."

He sighed and checked their current ETA on the status monitor on his desk. Their taskforce would reach the system in less than one hour at current warp velocity. He emptied his cup of coffee before he continued.

"The cloak has been installed successfully and so far it's working fine. I only wonder if it will hold against the detection nets and high-powered sensor sweeps they enemy will throw against us once we enter that system. It's heavily guarded and it will probably be like navigating a minefield with eyes only but I have complete faith in the skills of my pilot. She's unparalleled and I wouldn't even want to command a ship like the _Arcadia_ without Akima at the helm."

Computer safe log. The computer beeped in affirmation and Korso stood up from the comfortable chair behind his deck. A Captain had to be on the bridge on such a critical mission.

In the mean time Rilas was commanding the bridge of the _Son of the Empire_ to the best of his abilities. Rilas was an experienced officer and he was pretty confident that he could handle almost any situation that might arise. Now that Naea was his First Officer he needed someone else behind the helm to replace her. Naea was a capable officer but being First Officer and piloting the ship simultaneously would prove even too much for her.

"What's our ETA Syran?" Rilas asked his replacement helmsman.

"Approximately twenty minutes if we hold our current speed of warp eight point five sir" the Soneg replied looking at his Captain.

Indeed he had most of the characteristics of Kero but instead of the slate-colored skin and bright blue eyes of Gouregs, Syran's skin was of a darker brown shade and his eyes were almost pitch-black. Two deep pools of darkness that still managed to twinkle in a friendly manor. He was of average size and slightly overweight judging by the size of his belly but very muscular like most Mantrins.

"Better inform Captain Korso that he needs to stand by to transfer the team" Rilas decided.

Just when he wanted to contact the _Valkyrie_ the ship trembled when weaponsfire struck the energy barrier that made up the aft shields. Luckily he had kept the ship on yellow alert because he had the feeling that the Machines might try to stop them.

"Report!" Rilas yelled when the ship trembled again.

"Direct hit to the aft shields! Enemy interceptors closing fast!" Kiké informed.

She changed the camera view to the aft section of the ship showing long sleek vessels capable of reaching much higher warp speeds than most of the other ships used by the Machines closing in from behind and firing their weapons into the aft section of the ship.

"Rilas to all ships we've got a situation."

The bridge of the _Highlander_ appeared on the screen on red alert because the flickering consoles and status displays indicated that they had received a couple of hits too.

"Captain shall we increase our speed?" Rilas asked as another conduit blew out on the bridge that was now under his command.

"Our scans show that their ships are easily capable of matching our speed. We have to drop out of warp and face them at impulse."

Another direct hit followed, causing secondary explosions all over the ship as power systems couldn't handle the sudden spikes in the grid.

"Direct hit to the port nacelle!" Kiké yelled over the noise of the small explosions being caused by overloading power relais.

"They're targeting our engines!"

"Sir it might be best if we drop out of warp and do as Captain Pierce says" Naea suggested.

"All right. Red Alert! All hands man your battlestations and keep those turrets firing."

"Rilas to Captain Kero."

"We shouldn't focus on what we don't know but on what we do know" Kero said for the third time in the last couple of minutes.

Otrin still wasn't happy about the fact that they were going down in that hell hole. The fact that they needed to walk at least fifty kilometers through dense forests because of the dampening field surrounding the entire complex that inhibited the use of transporter technology in that area annoyed him even more.

"The odds are very much against us down there that's for sure" Otrin retorted staring in front of him with the same cranky expression as before.

The eleven elite warriors shared the mission briefing room aboard Kero's ship around a large wooden table. It was a large room designed by Mantrin standards and also this time a small version of the Aridanis IV simulation made by Cale projected by a holo-emitter hovered above this table. Except for Stith and Kero they were wearing their EAF uniforms but no special equipment yet. All warriors would grab their gear before transferring to the _Valkyrie_ at the edge of the system.

"With the use of the cloaked _Valkyrie_ we should be able to land safely on the planet" Kero said feeling a bit uneasy sitting around the same table as the Commander.

"That depends on your definition of 'safe'. For all we know the place is crawling with those toasters that will vaporize our molecules before we are fully materialized."

Otrin snorted.

"By the way, since we are using the human ship we can't beam in any heavy equipment."

"I thought you were a warrior" Stith objected.

"Wanna die an honorable death on the battlefield."

Otrin looked at her, a sneer cutting across his face.

"There's nothing honorable about suicide" he bit back.

The ship trembled causing all the warriors to look at each other in confusion. Kero quickly took a look outside. They were still travelling at warp and the blast didn't sound like it was coming from within the ship. It was an attack. He stood up when more hits struck the shields and caused the ship to tremble even more, this time causing structural damage.

"Crap! They're trying to stop us before we reach the planet!" Rajah cursed.

It didn't take long before Rilas' voice sounded over the com. system.

"Red Alert! All hands man your battle…"

The rest was more or less lost in a lot of background noise.

"What do you think you're doing?" Otrin asked Kero who was planning on leaving.

This was a battle and he was going to be on the place where a Captain should be if a battle had to be fought: The bridge.

"Find a place to make yourselves useful. We'll meet up here after this is over and transfer to the _Valkyrie_, till then, I'm on the bridge."

Kero did as he promised with Stith on his tail leaving Otrin and the rest of his team behind in confusion. After a slight hesitation the EAF soldiers including Kero's own brother pretended like they were a part of the crew and reported themselves where they would most likely need any aid.

"Rilas to Captain Kero."

"Kero here" the Prince replied bringing his wristcom. to his muzzle.

"Sir we're under attack. I thought you might like to take command for the time being."

"Feeling a bit unnerved Rilas?" Kero asked a bit amused.

"Not at all Captain, I just thought that you would like it to command your ship in battle for one last time."

"You make it sound like I'm already as good as dead" Kero said suppressing the upcoming laugh.

He knew Rilas didn't mean it that way but it still had a funny touch to it.

"Sir I didn't want to…"

"I'm coming Commander" Kero interrupted.

"But I'll leave her in your hands. Kero out."

"Do they know that we're on to them?" Stith asked as she and Kero evaded hasted crewmembers on their way to their stations.

"I'm not sure. This could very well be just a patrol" Kero replied trying to keep himself on his feet when the ship's shields took another hit.

In the middle of deep space, less than a lightyear away from Aridanis the three ships of the taskforce dropped out of warp, enemy interceptors in pursuit. The three Captains were commanding the bridge in person with Korso the first one to come up with a strategy. The enemy ships were fast interceptors that didn't have a lot in the way of firepower but were very well capable of performing precision strikes and then rapidly move out of weaponsrange before their opponents could react. Maneuverability was needed to face an opponent like this in a direct engagement and that was something his ship wasn't short of.

"Okay Akima, let's show us what you can do" he called to the lower deck where his pilot was currently playing the controls.

"You've got it Captain" Akima replied forcing the ship into a tight turn to break the enemy's weaponslock.

Since the _Valkyrie_ was faster, maneuverable and better able at avoiding hits, Korso decided to let her function as a bate so that the two larger ships could get away. This worked only partially because only two out of eight of the elongated ships followed her in a wild dance of firing and evading shots.

"Watch your six _Valkyrie_" Rilas who was trying to find out if Korso had a plan or not warned them.

"I know Rilas, thanks for the warning though" Korso replied over the com..

Akima was making the wildest turns but so far the _Valkyrie_´s gunner Lieutenant Reese had only managed to damage one ship. They constantly managed to slip through his fingers. Korso heard him curse but he knew that the man was trying the best he could. The targeting scanners just couldn't lock on in time.

"Maybe we can confuse them and use the cloak to sneak up from behind" Brian suggested.

"That wasn't such a bad idea" Korso thought.

Apparently his pilot agreed.

"It's worth a try!" an agitated Akima yelled from the lower deck.

"See if I can break their weaponslock long enough for you to safely drop the shields and engage the cloak."

The _Highlander_ and _Son of the Empire_ were off worse. Being essentially battleships, these large and slow vessels weren't able to maneuver quickly enough and took quite a beating. The precisions strikes were really mean and managed to penetrate weakened shields, taking out systems all over the ship one by one.

"Another direct hit! Minor damage to the starboard nacelle!"

Pierce's tactical officer just kept reporting damage to their own ship while the status of the enemy ships hadn't changed a bit. They were just moving too fast.

"If they keep hitting us like that the damage won't be so minor anymore."

"I'm sorry Captain, the computer is having trouble locking on. To make things worse, the enemy ships seem to be having some kind of low level dampening field over their hull which makes it even harder to get a lock."

"Then fire manually" Jason replied agitated as he was that these ships just continued damaging his ship.

"Aye sir" the man replied taking manual control over the _Highlander_'s phaserbanks.

The _Son of the_ _Empire_ was taking fire as well. The enemy ships were taking out her weapon systems so that she had no means to fight with. Poor Kiké was having a lot of trouble holding them off. She was fighting with the controls until the point that her frustration caused her to give up.

"I'm sorry sir I just can't keep them off our back!" she said throwing her arms in the air.

She added a frustrated growl and grinded her teeth in annoyance. Stith who had been watching her during the battle took over from her. She laid a clawed hand on the young girl's shoulder in a friendly manor when she relieved her quickly.

"Don't worry Kiké, we're not asking you to be a permanent replacement" she said feeling right at home behind the ship's weapon systems.

From what she had seen from Kiké's trying, the enemy was too fast for the targeting scanners to follow so she switched the controls to manual instead.

"But I'm letting you guys down!" the Fjetahna retorted, ashamed of what her sister might think of her at the moment.

Naea however felt a bit sorry for her. This would have been the big moment for her younger sister to prove herself on the bridge in a battle situation and eased her with a few comforting words. Kiké brushed with her smaller hands through her long brown-reddish mane, angry at herself that she couldn't do what Stith was doing now. But Stith had the training and the experience that she still lacked at the moment. She knew it would come over time however she still hated the fact that she couldn't do it right now. But she still had to replace Stith while she was carrying out her mission so instead she carefully watched the more experienced officer as she did her thing.

"Engage the cloak, now!" Akima yelled forcing the ship into another tight turn in an attempt to evade the pulse cannons fired at her.

With the touch of a button on his console, Cale channeled the power currently used by the shields and weapons and fed it directly into the Starfleet cloaking device. For a moment the _Valkyrie_ was completely defenseless until, in the blink of an eye, the ship faded against the darkness of space with a rippling effect leaving the enemy ships without a target to aim their weapons at. They began circling the _Valkyrie_'s last know location and started to actively scan the area. However their sensors weren't powerful enough to break through the ship's cloakingfield. Akima let out a sigh of relief during the moment of pause but was already performing the finishing maneuver of getting behind the enemy ships in their blind spot.

"Looks like we've fooled them" Brian whispered like if the sound of his voice would be enough to give away their position.

"Sir, the _Son of the Empire_ is taking damage. They need our help" Yani said softly following his example.

"Thanks Ensign" Korso replied.

"Easy Akima" he said as he watched how Akima maneuvered the ship behind the enemy vessels to allow Derek to line up for a perfect shot.

A couple of shots would be enough to break through their weaker aft shields and finish them.

"Let's finish of these little pests" Akima muttered under her breath.

"Now!"

As soon as she gave the signal, Cale dropped the cloak, raised shields and brought weapons back online with all of these functions hooked to a single button. Shortly after that, Lieutenant Reese fired the _Valkyrie_'s upgraded laser cannons at full power with thundering discharges of the capacitors. The enemy ships were caught completely off guard, scanning in the wrong direction and not expecting the danger to sneak up from behind. The destructive energy forced its way through the aft shields and ripped through the ship like a can opener. The engines exploded and the reactor breached, the resulting antimatter explosion lighting up space like a miniature star.

"Good job!" Korso praised.

"Now let's see if we can perform the same trick on the other ones."

The Republican ship activated the cloak again and sped away to aid the other two ships. Under normal conditions, these ships wouldn't be a match for the either one of them but they were so maneuverable and following such erratic flight paths that it was almost impossible to get a good shot.

"I can't hold them off!" Stith yelled having trouble, even when firing manually.

She had only taken out one enemy ship and damaged a second one but they just kept coming. The turning speed of the turrets was just too slow. Sparks and small explosions lighted up the bridge as the ship took more and more damage. It was extremely frustrating and the casualties were on the rise. Small explosions and rupturing conduits caused sickbay to flood and as Captain, Rilas was unable to do much. He looked at Kero who was standing in the back of the bridge with an almost pleading look in his copper-colored eyes. It was Kero's ship that was falling apart around him while he was in command and he felt miserable about it.

"Sir please" he almost begged.

Kero looked back but didn't make any attempt to help Rilas out.

"I'm sorry Rilas, but if something goes wrong while I'm down on that planet you've gotta be able to do things on your own too. Have a little faith in yourself, I know you can do it."

Rilas gave him a slight nod and continued.

"Bridge this is engineering! We're taking a lot of damage down here! They're targeting our engines! If you can't hold them off we might be forced to evacuate!"

Majih's yelling was heard above all the noise of explosions, fire-extinguishers and all the crewmen trying to hold things together. The small Lesser Arcanna Mantrin was standing in a complete mess of an engine room. Everyone yelled above the deafening sound of explosions, wounded got carried away with plasma burns and debris was flying all around the place.

"Majih, I need more power to the shields!" Rilas yelled back.

"I've given you all I've got!" his voice yelled back.

"Sir the _Valkyrie_ is gone" Stith reported from behind her console.

"The other two ships?" Rilas asked fearing that their mission was over before it began.

"I'm detecting nothing but debris."

"No, it can't be" Rilas thought not willing to except that it could be over.

If the _Valkyrie_ was lost there was no way of getting anyone down on that planet.

"The cloak!" it flashed through his mind.

"Scan the debris" he ordered.

But just at that moment, debris of two destroyed enemy ships struck the shields causing the ship to tremble heavily for one last time before only silence remained. The interceptors were so busy attacking the Mantrin warship and Federation vessel that they hadn't expected a third vessel to show up out of nowhere. Rilas now only watched how the _Valkyrie_ flew past the bridge tower via the viewscreen and disappeared again preparing for her next attack to relieve the _Highlander_. The Earth vessel had taken out the second enemy ship and damaged the already battered one further so that Stith was able to finish it quickly. The _Highlander_ had already taken a lot of damage but had so far still managed to destroy two out of three ships harassing her. Black spots marked her shiny saucer section and one of the nacelles had a small plasma leak but nothing they couldn't contain. The last of the enemy interceptors calculated that it was pointless to keep up the fight and broke off its attack before the _Valkyrie_ could get within weaponsrange. The ship engaged warp engines and left off in the direction of Aridanis after which the _Valkyrie_ decloaked again and all ships deactivated their weapons and shields. Damage control teams were dispatched aboard the two larger vessels and Korso assisted them aid in the form of any compatible spare parts to help contain the damage.

"How can such small ships cause so much damage?" one of Pierce's bridge officers exclaimed looking at the damage reports and casualties coming in.

The _Highlander_ had taken quite a beating but the damage could be repaired. The only thing they could do while Otrin and his team were on the planet was waiting so that extra time wasn't going to pass by unused.

"Don't underestimate them because of their size Lieutenant. Even those small attack ships pack a punch in numbers" Pierce answered his officer's question with a punishing look.

"Looks like we've bloodied their noses a bit. Now let's contact the _Son of the Empire_. It looks like they can use some help."

"Gladly Captain" Rilas accepted Pierce's aid.

A few minutes later a couple of Starfleet repair teams boarded the Mantrin warship and with the extra spare parts Korso had beamed over they would be able to repair most of the damage relatively quickly. When Kero noticed that the ship was in Rilas' capable hands he left.

"I'm leaving her to you Rilas. I have all the confidence that she's still here when I come back" he said stepping into the turbolift.

"Thank you sir. I'll have her shine like a star again when you come back" Rilas replied standing up and saluting for the last time when his Captain left together with Stith.

After the Captain and his tactical officer left, Kiké took her place behind the tactical console again. She had carefully observed Stith and her advice would sure come in handy.

"Don't trust blindly on the computer" she had said.

"If you enemy is faster than you are, shoot manually. Trust your instincts. Feel and don't think. May Kirliya help you to achieve victory."

The young Fjetahna girl admired Stith. She liked her and the beginning of a friendship was formed during their mission on the derelict colony. Viewing he sister as second in command she promised herself, her House and the crew of this entire ship that she wouldn't fail next time.

Kero could already hear Otrin cursing violently when he approached the briefing room where they would meet again after the battle was over.

"That ain't good" he said out loud to Stith who confirmed.

"Something tells me that the mission is over" she said staring at the door like if it was gonna explode if they stepped through it.

Luckily that didn't happen but hearing Otrin rant and rave about the situation when they entered the briefing room predicted something maybe even worse. He shot a devilish glace when they walked in both Kero and Stith noticing that they were one man short.

"It's over! The mission is over before it even started!" he roared.

"I've lost one of my men! He was my best gunner! And now he's recovering in sickbay because the freakin' conduit blew out!"

Otrin stamped through the room his tail beating against the bulkhead. He was more furious then ever and there was nothing they could do to fix it. They were one man short and with no one to replace him directly they had to go back. There was no other option. Kero however came up with an idea that certainly wouldn't satisfy the Commander but would still give them a reasonable chance of completing the mission.

"We have to go back!" Otrin yelled.

"We have to wait until he's back on his feet again!"

"There's no time!" Rajah retorted.

He was the first one to finally say something and provided Otrin with other options.

"True" Kero supported his brother.

"A single ship left and headed back to Aridanis. If we leave now the place will be completely impenetrable once we get back."

"And what do you suppose we do next?!" Otrin barked.

"How about using one of my men?" Kero suggested already having someone in mind.

He had performed well during the rescue mission on the colony and his incredible strength would certainly come in handy. Otrin let out a laugh at his remark and pointed with a finger at him and Stith.

"You two shouldn't even be on this mission and now you are asking me to let another regular join this team? Why don't we shoot ourselves right now instead of going down to a planet to have someone else do it for us?"

His laughing afterwards was purely exaggerated and it was actually a mask to hide his anger.

"Watch your words" Stith snarled warning him about the possible consequences.

"We can make this work" Kero continued.

Otrin suddenly went very serious.

"Look, without you two, the mission is a no go but I'm in command of this operation. And if you continue to undermine my authority I'll have no other choice but to abort. Is that clear?!"

"Aye sir!" Kero replied firmly.

"With all due respect sir, I'm not trying to undermine your authority, I'm just offering you another solution for the same problem."

After a long hesitation Otrin snorted and eventually agreed.

"All right, bring in you man, I'll judge if he's fit for the job!" he roared.

A smile appeared on Kero's lips. He activated his wristcom. and lifted the device to his muzzle.

"Kero to Lieutenant Nunchaku."

A few seconds passed after which the Ryrjhii's huge posture was projected by the holo-emitter of the communication device.

"I'm here sir, where do you need me?" he muttered with his very low voice.

"I want you to come over here. I've got a job for ya" Kero said.

"Right away sir" Nun replied.

A couple of moments later the huge Ryrjhii stepped into the room assessing the situation. Of course he knew all about the mission and he immediately prepared himself to be a part of it. Otrin carefully observed the huge Mantrin that was far bigger in comparison. Admitted he wasn't a bad replacement. If only size was a measure for shooting skills… When Azkun watched the male member of her race enter the room she had an instinctive somewhat primitive reaction. In the tribes, fighting for a mate was a common ritual and even among the socialized Mantrins that functioned in normal society it was still present as a certain instinct. She couldn't resist baring her teeth at him and growling softly like she was challenging him. He answered her challenge by flattening his ears and letting out a low growl coming from deep within his throat.

"That's enough, both of you" Kero said with a calm voice but still looking slightly amused.

Azkun resumed her normal cool look but kept staring at the other Ryrjhii with one yellow eye.

"So that's him eh?" Otrin said stepping up to the far larger Mantrin.

The briefing room suddenly looked a lot smaller and Nunchaku's ears were almost touching the relatively high ceiling.

"Now tell me big guy, how are your fighting skills?"

Nunchaku flattened a large ear when he heard the smaller Sogowan talking to him. He glared down his muzzle with his trunk-sized arms crossed and looked serious.

"Good enough" he grumbled.

"If you were wearing our uniform I would believe ya" Otrin continued.

"Stop pushing him" Stith already thought.

She knew that Otrin, annoying as he could be, could easily get the huge Ryrjhii angry. Apparently he wasn't thinking about the consequences since Nunchaku's fist was more than half the size of Otrin's head.

"You might be big but that's no guarantee that you can fight well."

"Please don't anger me" Nunchaku muttered.

"I don't wanna hurt anyone."

Stith knew he was very gentle for his size and race and didn't wish to see him get angry. That was however exactly what Otrin was trying to do. He really liked to push people to their limits so that they could show them what they could. He had already tried this with Stith and suffered the consequences but this time it could very well be his undoing. After all the team needed a squad leader.

"Oh c'mon don't be so soft. I can't have a softy in my assault squad. Or is that all fat?"

He added a laugh that finally sparked the fire of anger inside the Ryrjhii. Nunchaku took a deep breath and grabbed the Sogowan by his uniform. Using his incredible strength he literally lifted the Sogowan off the ground and held him in front of his face. It was extremely uncomfortable for a Mantrin to stretch its legs for periods longer than a few seconds so Otrin's three-toed feet touched the ground for few seconds after which he dangled hopelessly in Nunchaku's massive arms. Anger sparked in the two deep-green triangular eyes and the hot plume coming out of his nostrils hit him in the face when he snorted. Complete silence fell over the attendants when they held their breath. Neither of them wanted to be in their superior's position right now. Otrin held on to both of Nunchaku's arms with both of his afraid that the Ryrjhii would crush him if he didn't.

"Don't anger me" Nunchaku repeated.

"I don't wanna hurt you."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Would you please put me down?" Otrin said with a very small voice.

This was a little too close for comfort and he knew that Nunchaku could easily kill him if he wanted. Fortunately he didn't seem to like unnecessary bloodshed because very slowly he lowered his arms putting the smaller Sogowan back on his original spot. Otrin was glad that both of his feet touched the deckplating again. He smoothed the wrinkles out of his uniform and let out a sigh of relief in his mind but didn't show any of this to his subordinates. This little demonstration of his strength had just gotten him his place in the team and was more or less convinced that this chunk of muscle could handle the task.

"Okay, you are with us" Otrin admitted although he would rather have his own gunner back.

Nunchaku curved the edges of his hooked beak into something that resembled a smile and patted him on the shoulder with such force that Otrin swore he could hear the deckplating screech under his feet. But what was most important was the fact that the team was complete. And not a moment too soon. A few seconds later Rilas' voice sounded over the intercom..

"Commander Otrin, Captain Korso asks you and your men to standby for transport, we are approaching the edge of the system. Good luck to all of you. Rilas out."

Otrin looked proudly to all of his men.

"All right this is it! We only get one shot at this! Remember that you're not fighting for yourself or for me but for the entire Galaxy and the continued existence of our species! And be warned! Fear is like poison! It kills you when you least expect it! Now grab your gear and get ready to move out! Let's go!"

Approximately five minutes later all three vessels dropped out of warp at the edge of the Aridanis system, just outside detection range of any vessels and relay stations. The system was literally crawling with Machines. Countless patrols moved along waypoints to make sure no one would set foot in their territory without notice. The activity in the Aridanis system closely resembled an always expanding colony of ants, with thousands of workers trying to protect their queen. It was this image the Captain's of all three vessels got when operations officers relayed their findings picked up by the long-range scanners.

"They certainly didn't skip on the defenses" Brian remarked reviewing all the data coming in.

A few moments later the _Valkyrie_ received both Pierce and Rilas on the viewscreen.

"I recommend you shut down all non-essential systems to avoid detection. We don't wanna draw unwanted attention" Pierce suggested.

"Cale?" Korso said with a nod towards his chief engineer.

"Already on it sir. Shields and weapons powered down. Short range scanners only. All secondary systems offline."

As Cale entered the commands into his console Korso watched how the lighting on the bridge darkened to a dim glare and several status monitors turned black. All but essential systems were shut down and together with the cloak it should be sufficient to keep the Machine's from detecting the ship.

"Captain the team is ready for transport."

With a slight nod Korso ordered Cale to the new and rather modest transporter room aboard the ship.

"So what do you think Akima, can you do it?" Korso asked his pilot on the lower level.

"It's not impossible" Akima replied studying the tactical overlay on her console projecting her ever-changing flight path.

She needed to get to the fourth of seven planets and try to stay out of detection range of the always patrolling enemy ships and relay stations. Once they got there Gune had to temporarily disable one of the moon installations to create a gap in the detection field around the planet through which they could enter and all of that with raising as less suspicion as possible. Triggering an alarm might mean instant death for the team down on the planet because until the AI was destroyed there was no way of getting them off planet.

"But it might take a while."

"Well, once the AI is out of the equation it should be relatively easy to finish off all those harmless drones" Korso remarked.

"No AI, no signal. No signal, no threat" Brian added.

"I do certainly hope that it's as easy as you make it sound" Ensign Cho said not quite certain if that was going to happen.

"C'mon have a little faith" Lieutenant Reese replied looking at the brighter side.

"I'm sure those guys are up to the task."

"Energizing" Cale informed the members of the team.

Only three Mantrins could be transported simultaneously so he had to do it in four times to bring them all over. Commander Otrin snorted at the small corridors and low ceilings when he stepped off the transporter pad. He and his team members were wearing their full combat gear, massive guns and eyepieces. Sweatbands were bond around their heads and wrists and their clawed hands were covered by fingerless gloves to provide extra grip on their guns. A belt with some extra equipment and a collection of different types of grenades was bond around their waists.

"Welcome aboard the _Valkyrie_ Commander. I hope that you'll enjoy your short staying here."

"Skip the formalities human" the Sogowan snarled.

"I don't like it anymore then you do."

"So much for being polite" Cale grumbled bringing over the rest of the team.

At least Kero, Stith and Rajah greeted him friendly when they materialized but Otrin was just as cranky as always.

"If you all wanna follow me" Cale announced leading the way to the somewhat larger and higher mess hall.

The Mantrins had to crouch low in the small corridors designed for humans and the heavy backpacks and other equipment weren't exactly an advantage. Nunchaku was off the worst. With his sheer size the Ryrjhii had to bow his head in order not to hit the ceiling. Cale provided the members of the team with some last refreshments before he returned to the bridge. The new replicator system came in handy in these kinds of situations and he left them alone to allow them to prepare themselves with whatever rituals these creatures performed before going into battle.

"It's done" Cale said when he returned to the dimly lit bridge and took his station again.

"Prepare to engage cloak. Akima, set a course" Korso ordered repositioning himself in the Captain's chair on the main steering deck.

"Aye sir" Akima replied taking a deep breath before she firmly grabbed the controls.

"Gune will assist you with course corrections" the small green-skinned alien squawked pressing buttons faster than Akima was able to follow.

"Thanks Gune" Akima replied displaying a friendly smile.

"Good luck _Valkyrie_" Jason wished.

"We will stay on the edge of the system making repairs."

"Good luck to you too Captain" Korso replied.

"If we haven't been detected after dropping off the team we might try to take a look deeper into the system. We can't scan past the fourth planet so we have to assume they are hiding something."

"As long as you don't take unnecessary risks. You have been more or less the Federation's connection to the people of New Earth. I don't wanna lose you guys."

"I'm not making any promises" Korso said with a laugh.

"_Valkyrie_ out."

"May Kirliya assist you in your quest for victory" Rilas said firmly.

"Thanks Rilas. Better prepare a warm welcome for your guys when they come back."

Rilas merely smirked and ended the transmission.

"Engaging the cloak" Cale reported while he tapped a button.

The _Valkyrie_ disappeared against the blackness of space never to appear again while inside the system. Akima engaged the ships engines at half impulse while Gune helped her with the first course correction as the ship moved through the flight path of the first patrol.

"Course changed, heading 025 mark 068. Missing the enemy ships' short-range scanning circle by five million kilometers" she informed her Captain.

"Steady as she goes" Korso mumbled.

He had never been this dependent on her flying skills than ever before. But no matter if she was navigating an asteroid field, dodging the lasers from Drej stingers or infiltrating hostile territory the female pilot was always in her element. The merging between pilot and ship was something that came over the years and at a certain moment you didn't wanna trade this ship for another. Korso knew the feeling first hand from those times when he had flown the _Valkyrie_ much more often just by himself. She hadn't been his first pilot but she was certainly the best.

"Here comes another one" Akima said between clenched teeth as she scraped the detection circle of another patrol.

The long-range and normal scanners weren't able to penetrate their little invisibility bubble but a high-powered scan or tachyon burst would be enough to at least temporarily disrupt the cloak, allowing enemy weapon systems to get a lock.

"Gune is on to it" the Grepoan whispered like the enemy ships could pick up the sound of his voice if he talked to loud.

"Changing course to 002 mark 134. Got it Gune."

With pilot and co-pilot working closely together they fairly quickly managed to get past the first few lines of defense until they came within range of the sixth planet. The seventh planet didn't pose a threat because their current course didn't take them anywhere near it but the sixth one had some nasty defenses and relay stations on both its surface and in orbit hunting for suspicious signatures that didn't belong here. Their range was displayed by circles on Akima's tactical display but that was only an estimate. To be absolutely certain she let the ship make a wide surrounding movement, missing the outer line by approximately twenty million kilometers to avoid them from throwing a tachyon burst against their cloaking field. The dense patrolling didn't make this easy and she had to force the ship in some pretty erratic maneuvers to avoid their short-range detection circles as well.

"How are you holding up Akima?" Korso asked softly.

"Pretty good sir, but I'm glad when we're outta here. These patrols aren't planning on granting me a moment of rest."

Passing the sixth planet at a steady speed and with Aridanis V one quarter orbit further, Aridanis IV came within sights. The beautiful green-bluish marble would be a flourishing world for all species to live on but unfortunately the Machines had other plans with it. The airspace around the planet was obstructed on almost all sides by shipyards, space stations, defensive platforms and patrolling ships. Busier then the spaceports in the whole quadrant bunched together they would certainly have to be quick about it.

"Detecting an awful lot of activity around that planet" Brian remarked using only the short-range scanners at half power.

"Better keep us close to the moon once Gune is performing his hacking otherwise we risk detection by patrols."

Their route towards the nearest moon wasn't a straight one. Akima just had to keep evading patrols and it took them nearly half an hour to cover a distance of only a couple of million kilometers. The small moon with the closest distance to the beamdown area near the complex was nothing more than a barren rock without any signs of life. A monitoring facility was built on its surface allowing it to keep track of activity within a large radius between the planet and this particular moon. Working in conjugation with the stations on the other moons they were able to create a fully covering detection grid, capable of alerting any ships in the region to respond to any intrusions. However Akima was going to make use of a small flaw it's design. The stations were only monitoring the area between Aridanis IV and the moon so using the far side of the planet as cover she was going to make an extremely low altitude approach over the atmosphere of the moon to stay under the detection grid until Gune had found a way to disable it.

"Coming up on the fourth moon" she said keeping the ship into a straight dive until she hit the brakes hard and pulled back on the controls to level the _Valkyrie_ just above the moon's surface sending waves of dust, sand and small rocks in all directions in the ship's wake.

This would have worked pretty well if the moon didn't have so much scars in the form of craters, mountains, ridges and other irregularities in its surface.

"Akima" Korso whispered between clenched teeth when he saw the mountain ridge closing in upon them through the large window.

"I can't climb! There's a patrol up there! I'm already inside their detection range. If they pulse scan now we'll light up like a candle."

"We're going to light up like a candle too if you don't pull up" Brian replied.

"Hang on, this is going to be a rough one!" she announced biting her teeth with the mountain ridge only five thousand kilometers in front of them.

The ship wasn't flying fast but the scraping sounds of rock over metal and the loud bump indicated that her move wasn't fully successful. Korso crossed his arms.

"You gonna have to pay for that one" he mumbled checking the ship's hull integrity.

"Cloak is holding" Cale informed.

"Sir, the three ships above us have initiated scans. I think they can see us" Ensign Cho reported nervously.

"How is that possible? Are we still consuming too much power?" Derek asked.

"The wake!" Cale suddenly exclaimed.

"Akima we're flying so low over the surface that we are creating a wake! They can't see us but they do see the distortions on the moon surface."

"Crap!" Akima exclaimed slowing the ship down to a hover using thrusters only.

Fortunately due to their high speed they were close enough to the station for Gune to establish a link.

"We're almost there Akima" Gune whispered.

"First things first" Korso ordered.

"Akima put the ship down. Cale cut all power including life-support but leave the cloak online. Maybe they'll ignore us."

Everyone responded as quickly as possible. Akima landed the ship inside a small crater that hopefully masked any visible signature with a soft bump after which Cale killed all systems except the cloak. In the darkness of the bridge everyone on the upper deck tensely awaited the next few moments. The three moving dots between the stars and the bluish-green of the planet quickly grew bigger and took the shapes of three small attack ships, the same ones carried aboard the Machine Dominion's carriers. With a little luck these ships didn't carry any high-powered sensors or a tachyon emitter so they just sat tight until they passed over using their sensors to detect anything that didn't belong here. But the three vessels passed over without any indication that they had detected them. After waiting a few more minutes just to be safe, Cale brought sensors back online to see if there were any threats still in the area. However the three detection circles were moving away from their enclosed position. The consoles powered up again and life-support was brought back online too. It was surprising how fast the temperature dropped inside a ship with life-support offline.

"Now is your best chance I think" Brian mumbled assessing the situation.

"Okay Gune here you go" Akima encouraged the small alien scientist.

"It might take a little bit longer because of crater walls but Gune will try."

Akima had never seen someone tap commands into a computer at such with so much speed. The way Gune's fingers found their way on the console's buttons was just as amazing as it was funny to watch and she was actually beginning to wonder of the computer was able to follow all of Gune's commands. However the computer kept confirming and beeping positively so whatever Gune was doing it worked. The tip of the alien's tongue was hanging out of his mouth and his eyes kept track of all the lights and small screens blinking on and off in front of him.

"Almost in" Gune squawked.

"Amazing" Brian exclaimed with an open mouth watching Gune at work.

The part of the planet surface facing them was currently the night side. That meant for the members of the team that they were facing their opponents in the middle of the Aridanis night. This was complicating things for the team but it also offered the advantage that they could see the Machines approaching because of their searchlights.

"The detection grid is still up" Cale said a bit bored.

"Quiet! Gune is concentrating!" the alien squawked in annoyance.

Finally after a total of ten minutes Gune touched the last button and showed the crew a pleased smile.

"Detection grid is offline. I can only send one fake 'all clear' signal" he informed.

"Go Akima, now!" Korso yelled feeling precious time slipping away.

The moon held a steady orbit of about four hundred and twenty thousand kilometers from the planet's surface and they had to go up and down before the time had passed.

"After four minutes they'll figure out something's wrong. Then I'll give them one minute to reinitialize the system and a half one to fully power the grid" Cale said out load while studying Gune's hack transferred to his console.

Akima didn't listen to Cale. She was busy firing up the ship and she was already covering the distance between the moon and the planet when Cale hastily exited the bridge.

"I'll have Otrin and his team standby for transport" he called running towards the mess hall.

"C'mon, c'mon!" she said as if she could encourage the ship to fly faster.

Evading patrols and transports hovering in between shipyards and the surface she eventually entered transporter range.

"Gune I need an estimate" she asked the alien sitting next to her who was keeping track of the limited time available.

"Three minutes, forty five seconds" he reported.

"Cale it's now or never. You have one minute!" she said to her wristcom. while fighting against gravity to keep the ship from plummeting into the atmosphere.

"Aye Akima!" Cale replied from within the transporter room.

He wished the warriors in their full combat gear good luck before he send them down, saying a few extra words to Stith, Kero and Rajah who were the last group to beam down.

"We'll pick you up as fast as we can after the AI is terminated and the field drops. In the mean time sit tight. Maybe Captain Pierce or Rilas are able to get some reinforcements here."

"I wouldn't count on it" Stith replied.

"Big organizations have the tendency of being slow. But just send Akima my regards."

"Twenty seconds Cale!" Akima yelled through his wristcom..

"I know!" he yelled back in the direction of the device.

"I will Stith. Hope to see all of you back soon."

The three Mantrins disappeared into a whirlwind of blue sparkles when he initiated transport, leaving nothing but empty space and a gloomy aura behind. Eleven warriors, one chance.


	38. Chapter 36 The Forests of Aridanis IV

**The Forests of Aridanis IV**

_**Authors note: Music track 25.**_

The first thing Stith thought that was going to happen when the small transporter room of the _Valkyrie_ disappeared was that she would end up in a massacre. She didn't know why but it maybe it was just the fact that they were transporting into the unknown. Lasers blasts flying everywhere. Her teammates slaughtered. Getting hit by a couple of blasts herself and die in a place where no one would find her bones within a thousand years.

It came as a welcome surprise that she materialized in a place that was quite the opposite. After the glare of the searchlight from a weapon someone had pointed at her faded away Stith found herself surrounded by her teammates who were scanning the environment and the tree line around them on a small open spot in a dark forest. The trees looked alien and were totally different in shape from the ones on Sogowa. The pale light of three of the five moons currently lighting the Aridanis night was more than enough for the Mantrins' eyes to see adequately. It was awfully quiet and the only sounds produced were the nervous breathing of her teammates, the soft shuffling of their feet on the ground and the sound of alien animals howling, squealing and squawking in the distance. The forest around them looked ominous and ideal for covering an entire army of drones. Stith could hear her hearts pounding in her ears from excitement and held her weapon tightly, fully relying on the tactical data on her eyepiece. She too was equipped with the double vibro-blades for this mission just like Kero but in addition to those and her C4M, she felt the comforting weight of her favorite pair of blasters on her hips. Those ones never let her down and were her most trusted weapons. Powerful, reliable and relatively light to be able to make quick moves.

"All right, we've made it" Otrin's voice pierced through the silence like a bullet.

All Mantrins who had been concentrating on their surroundings flicked their ears and turned attention to their squad leader. Their destination was more than fifty kilometers on foot and they were relying on each other in order to make it. All of them were expert gunners but a few also had a few special abilities that might prove handy on missions like this. A specialized field medic with some extra medical equipment that wasn't part of the standard medkit of all soldiers and even a technician with extra knowledge about engineering, in case equipment malfunctioned or if they needed a hack. However the malfunctioning of equipment was very unlikely since everything used by the EAF was tested under the most extreme conditions so all of it was very reliable.

"The _Valkyrie_ is now out of transporter range, the tachyon grid is back online and without any reinforcements or hope of a quick pull out in case things ran hot down here we are on our own until we can reduce that complex to a smoldering heap. Coordinates have been entered into your tacmap. Let's go everyone!"

Otrin took the lead and entered the forest through a narrow opening in the tree line. There was no clear road and from what she and Kero could see, the landscape of Aridanis was everything except regular. Hills, cliffs, even mountains rose up in the distance. It would prove a long and exhausting trip to whatever it was they were heading for, not to mention the dangers lurking in this alien forest, being either Machines or the local wildlife. Constantly pricking their ears picking up the sounds of Aridanis IV's night she and Kero walked next to each other, following the tails of the soldiers walking in front of them and pointing the flashlight attached to their guns at anything that moved or eyes that lit up in the darkness of their surroundings. The forest wasn't as dense as Sogowa's and the moons were able to partially light their irregular path so for their sharp eyes, especially those of the EAF warriors it wasn't very difficult to see where they were heading. It was only the beginning of a long and dangerous road.

"You've got fifteen seconds before the field catches up with us!" Cale yelled over the bridge when Akima fought her way through the patrols.

The monitoring station had reinitialized it's systems and reactivated the detection field a few minutes after Gune's fake 'all clear' signal and Akima was currently trying to stay ahead of that expanding field.

"I know!" she yelled a bit agitated.

"How was she able to concentrate on her flying while people kept yelling?" she thought pulling the ship away from Aridanis IV and from her best friend Stith.

But when she began to think about what Stith would say if she thought about those things she put it aside.

"We have to put aside our personal feelings and focus on the task at hand. That is probably what Stith would say if she were here" Akima thought.

"Five seconds!"

"Yeah I know!" she yelled back finally pulling the ship out of the woods past the safety border.

They were free of Aridanis IV's detection area and on course deeper into the system. For some reason they were unable to scan past the fourth planet and the reason was about to become clear in the next couple of minutes. There were slightly less patrols in this region and Akima took the opportunity to take a few deep breaths before continuing.

"Attagirl Akima" Korso praised.

"Thank you sir" she said being a bit proud of herself too.

She had already gotten themselves this far. Now they just needed to find out what the Machines were so anxiously trying to keep secret. Maybe there was some way they could exploit this second weak spot.

_**Authors note: Music track 25.**_

Down on the Aridanis IV, Stith and Kero were following their Commander through one of the ominous forests covering most of the planet's surface. The darkness, the sounds of animals, insects and other local wildlife could give a guy the creeps. But these warriors were the elite and didn't allow themselves to be distracted by the environment on a field of battle. Although not part of the Elite Assault Force and not being genetically enhanced like most of the other members of the team, Stith and Kero weren't having much trouble with the quick pace and difficult terrain. Stones, snapping branches and the regular bumps and potholes were something to watch out for, but were the properties of this planet that made it easier. Stith experienced the air on the planet easier to breathe because of the slightly higher percentage of oxygen and the lower gravity added a springy touch to her walk. The sudden movements of animals in the trees and bushes made either of them nervous and they had to be careful not to shoot the innocent locals of the planet. Aridanis IV was a developing class M world without a sentient species yet, but the wide variety of wildlife and the abundance of flora on the planet would have made it an excellent place for a colony.

"This would have been a beautiful place" Kero whispered.

"It can still be if we can get those toasters to move" Stith replied softly.

Suddenly she saw something move on Kero's left side. It was a faint shine of artificial light in between the trees. Apparently the others had seen it too because next thing she knew she was lying in the moist dirt on her belly trying to use the terrain as cover. The small bundle of light came closer and closer and when she recognized the object as a scout drone belonging to their enemy she aimed her weapon at the little heat source designated by her eyepiece. The moment they had spotted the small hovering device, all soldiers had killed the flashlights of their guns and fully relied on thermal vision and telemetry coming in on their eyepieces. The drone was searching the area with its sensors and lights and was moving into their direction. The thing was similar in shape and size as the spinner drones but was equipped with an advanced sensor suite instead of the rotating cutting blades. It wasn't capable of hurting them but if it detected their biosigns it would call in his friends which would tear them to shreds. The small text "hold your fire" appeared on her eyepiece, probably transmitted by Otrin as the Commander hadn't said anything. She held her breath as she watched the drone come closer and closer. It wouldn't take long now for its scanners to pick them up and they had to act now. She had a perfect aim and when Otrin cancelled the "hold fire" order all Mantrins let out one burst from their pulse rifles. The blue plasma pulses whined through the air hitting the device almost in unison. It exploded with a loud bang, sending what little debris left into all directions and temporarily lighting up the environment between the trees. A few alien birds and other flying animals screeched and flew up as a group to get themselves to safety and smaller animals quickly took refuge in whatever holes in the trees and the ground they used as homes. Otrin stood up and signaled the group to follow him in case more of these things decided to show up. Following the Commander at his steady pace, Kero took the opportunity to check up on his Lieutenant and so did Stith.

"How's it going Lieutenant?" Kero asked Nunchaku who was even bigger than him. The large Ryrjhii looked aside to his Captain through his eyepiece and smirked.

"Never better sir" he muttered with his low voice.

"Hi Nun" Stith greeted him.

"Didn't expect to have you on this mission. But I'm glad you're here."

"Thanks" Nunchaku replied.

His huge three-toed feet were plowing through the dirt, crushing branches underneath with a clearly audible crack. At first Kero just thought that it was just the branches but when he pricked his ears to listen more carefully he heard a slight rumbling in the distance that became louder and louder. The others heard it too because the group came to a halt to listen to the sound that had to be artificial. Nothing natural could make a sound like this. Otrin's soldiers quickly formed a small circle, guns pointing in three hundred and sixty degrees to respond to any threat no matter which direction. No one had expected the danger to come from above however.

"Sounds like engines" Rajah remarked who had assumed position next to his older brother.

The ground began to tremble and whatever animals that lived in these forests ran off to safety for the approaching aircraft. All Mantrins pointed their guns in the air but knew instantly that firing them was pointless. They could just as easily throw stones at the craft. The sound increased to a thundering drone when a massive VTOL transport blocked the light of the moons and cast it's shadow on the small group of Mantrins. The exhaust coming from its four massive thrust-vectored engines was enough to cause a localized storm underneath the craft, pulling leaves from the trees and wreaking havoc on the inhabitants of the forest. It was heading north-west to where they were currently heading and Otrin decided to find out what they were using these things for. He and his team already got the feeling that it couldn't be good. He signaled the circled group to break up and follow the direction of the transport.

While following the Commander, Stith noticed that the forest became less dense and she could see more of the clear Aridanis IV night with each step. The ground sloped and they were currently climbing a small hill overgrown with a short grass that slightly tickled the underside of her feet. Taking firm steps to get rid of the annoying feeling and with both her hearts pounding in her ears from excitement she reached the top and looked over the shoulders of the other Mantrins to take a look at the terrible sight in front of them.

Hundreds and hundreds of acres of what once had been an outstretched forest had been destroyed and devoid of all life. The entire area had been excavated and the hill was now part of a giant cliff surrounding this hundred meter deep sinkhole that spanned a huge area. Huge column-shaped mining installations of more than a hundred meters in height had been erected in this pit, extracting all the valuable minerals from the ground and refining them on location. Dozens of maintenance drones where hovering around those extraction towers with their rotating rings and other moving parts. The lightshow created by the thousands of tiny lights attached to every piece of equipment made it look like a city of Machines. The refined raw materials were brought to a transport base from which the huge VTOL cargo transports lifted off and landed in a constant stream. Their task was to take the refined materials up to the orbital shipyards for the construction of new deadly additions to the Machine Dominion fleet. The Mantrins were shocked to see all of this activity going on and their weapons now somehow looked pretty useless against all of this.

"They are exploiting the planet's natural resources" Kero whispered unable to tear his glance away from the amazing yet horrifying sight.

A Machine was without compassion, feeling or conscience and thousands and thousands of animals had already died for this mining installation to be built. Kero couldn't help but wonder how many more of these places had been build on this planet. If they'd continue this way, the planet would be a barren lifeless rock in less than a few months.

"Oh, how I'd love to turn all of this stuff to burning junk" Stith snarled feeling herself getting angry.

"I'm not gonna argue with that" Rajah replied shaking his head in disbelief at what his eyes were seeing.

Some of the others made a few snide remarks as well at the sight of these mechanical monsters destroying everything they cherished so much.

"We're gonna put an end to this" Otrin said determinately turning his back towards the sight.

"Yep, let's shut this party down" Stith added increasing the setting of her weapon to maximum.

The soldiers followed their Commander back into the forest, still shocked by the sight. Kero could feel Stith's anger about what they were doing here. With the AI out of commission, all of their operations here and out there in the rest of the quadrant will be deep-sixed but it would certainly leave it's scars. The costs of war were always higher than the gain but that was a concept these Machines were incapable of understanding. Following their original path to the hideout, they were unaware that they had already been spotted and appropriate countermeasures were already underway.

About forty-five kilometers from their current location the artificial mechanical entity was overseeing everything on the planet and also a small group of commando's didn't go unnoticed.

"_Scout drone one, seven, zero, two has stopped transmitting. Possibility of destruction by indigenous species of planet, one point two percent. Possibility of enemy forces infiltrating base of operations less than one percent. Possibility of enemy forces dropped off on planet without being detected by defensive measures, highly unlikely. Reassessing different possibilities… Unknown threat detected. Deploying countermeasures… Target… Scout drone one, seven, zero, two's last known location._"

At that moment a three dozen squadrons of sinister looking flying saucers left the AI's compound, their searchlights spreading their shine between the trees of the forest they entered. The hunt had started.

In the mean time Akima was steering the cloaked _Valkyrie_ deeper and deeper into the system. The patrols weren't as dense as around the AI's planet but it certainly took it's time to reach the inner planets. Aridanis III was a gas giant without much value and a few stationary orbiting stations were collecting what little valuable components from its upper layer of gas but that was pretty much it. No defensive platforms or shipyards but they at least now knew the reason why their long range scanners weren't very helpful from the edge of the system. A powerful jamming array prohibited the use of long-range scanning equipment and restricted them to short-range scanning and communications only. Sensors showed that there were more of them deeper inside the system. Not that they did have anyone to contact at the moment but several systems were affected by the device including warp drive.

"The freakin' thing is rendering pretty much every system useless" Akima said in an annoyed way while steering clear of the device.

"I'd be happy to blow it to smithereens" Derek suggested tapping with his fingers on the weapons-console that was currently off-line.

"Don't forget that they are the ones controlling the system and holding most of the guns" Korso warned his tactical officer.

"If we blow up that thing, the whole system will collapse in on us" Cale added in a humorous way.

However the presence of the device was highly inconvenient since the warp drive was pretty much useless too within the third planet's orbit around the blue Aridanis sun, so a quick getaway was impossible if they ran into trouble.

"Shall I take us in Captain?" Akima asked just to be certain.

After all it would mean taking a certain risk the Captain didn't want to put his ship into.

"Do it" Korso replied with a nod.

He didn't like taking his ship and crew into danger but since they were already in the middle of it, it wouldn't make much of a difference.

"Aye sir" she replied grabbing the controls again.

"Gune stay alert to gather as much data as you can if we find something. It could be useful" Korso ordered.

"Yes Captain" the alien replied standing by on sensors.

With the engines running on only half power to keep their signature at a low level, it still took some time to finally get there but when Akima pushed the ship past the second planet it became clear why the Machines were blocking their scans. Admiral Xilrai's assumptions were right and Korso was looking through the large bubble-shaped window at the colorful lightshow of a functional trans-dimensional gate. It appeared stable, as the Machines had build a similar ring construction as Starfleet around the active center to help stabilize the otherwise quite unstable distortion between this universe and theirs. It was heavily guarded and the small station attached to the ring structure provided the whole gate with shields and power to keep it functional and protected. Defensive platforms packed with torpedoes and cannons were installed around the gate and ships were exiting and entering the gate continuously.

"Gune can you scan the station?" Korso asked feeling like blowing it up now that they had the chance.

If they could destroy the gate, it would deny the Machines any reinforcements from their universe and have the rest of them trapped in this one. Maybe trapping such a large force wasn't the best option but leaving this portal open so that they could get more reinforcements wasn't either so he decided to choose the first if Gune was able to find a weak spot in its shielding or construction.

"Gune can scan the station but he doesn't know if they can see us if he does."

"Cale? You're the expert here" Korso asked for a second opinion.

"Well there is always the chance that using an active scan would give away our position."

"Captain?" Derek asked standing by to activate weapons.

After a slight hesitation and carefully weighing the pros and cons of each tactic against each other he came to the conclusion that he could wait for Otrin and his team to shut down the AI or take this one chance and destroy an important strategic target. This time he choose the latter. He had to assume that the AI operating in their universe wasn't the only. Who knows what the Machines' universe would look like. An enormous Empire of mechanical monsters, constantly murdering billions and billions of innocents to further expand their territory and eventually become the only force in their Galaxy. And these gates provided them with a way to do so much more.

"This had to stop now" he thought.

"Cale bring sensors back online. Gune, see if you can detect any weak spots in the gate's structure or it shields. Look for something we might get a torpedo through but try to use as less power for the sensors as possible."

"I see what I can do Captain" Gune squawked putting his fingers back to work on the console.

"Sir?" Yani asked for the Captain's attention.

The female officer had come up with an idea of her own in case they might be detected. It would prove useful in case they had to make a run for it.

"Go ahead Ensign" Korso granted her permission to make her statement.

He had only hired her because the Asian looking woman was a promising young officer with a little more experience in space then the other volunteers. Something that would be useful in delicate situations like this. Yani pulled a lock of her long black hair away from her eyes to look at her Captain.

"Sir, maybe I can figure out a way to generate false signatures. Something that makes it harder for them to aim for the real target."

"You mean sensor ghosts?" Brian replied.

"I believe that's the correct term sir" she acknowledged.

"Not a bad idea Ensign" Korso praised.

"Start working on it immediately, I have the feeling we're gonna need it. Brian? I get the feeling you know a little more about this subject then you want to admit so you can assist Ensign Cho where you see fit."

"Yes sir" the two officers replied in unison.

With everyone working on the plan as fast as possible Gune was the first one to come up with a result. It was difficult for the alien to scan through the shields with such limited power available but eventually his screen showed the detailed schematic of the entire construction.

"What have you got Gune?" Korso asked walking down the metal stairs to the lower level.

"The ring and station itself have heavy shields protecting them but Gune found out that the small connection between the two parts is not as strong as the rest."

Gune was pointing at all the different sections on the schematic while he spoke and at the moment his finger was resting at the section between station and ring structure. The shields around this part were indeed weaker than those around the rest of the complex, something that undoubtedly had its reasons but Korso couldn't quite figure out why.

"Good work Gune" he said patting the alien on his shoulder making him smile happily.

"Why leave the critical connection between the two parts vulnerable?" he mumbled while rubbing the beard covering his chin.

When his mind couldn't come up with any logical reasons he decided to order the strike. A couple of well-placed photon torpedoes and laser blasts would make short work of the connection between the ring and it's power supply, destabilizing the gate.

"Cale, standby to drop the cloak and bring weapons online on my mark. Akima, standby to run. Divert all power to the engines when necessary because someone will be angry no matter if we succeed in what we're going to do or not."

"Ready Captain" Akima replied after having made all the preparations to escape at maximum possible sublight speed and jump to warp as soon as they had left the third planet behind them.

"On my mark" Korso said counting down the seconds in his head.

"Three… Two… One… Mark!"

Cale pressed the buttons to deactivate cloak and reactivate weapons and shields. The _Valkyrie_'s powerful weapon systems jumped back to life and it only took a few seconds for the laser cannon's capacitors to charge up to full power. A volley of torpedoes was armed in only half that time and standing by to fire. But it as soon as both of them were ready Derek pulled the trigger, having a perfect aim at the target thanks to Akima's maneuvering. Korso watched how laser blasts and torpedoes struck the shields of the target area and disappeared together with the energy barrier. However with the disappearance of the first layer, a second one erected closely behind absorbing the remaining blasts.

"What happened?" Korso asked with a slight panic in his voice.

"A second shield has been activated closely behind the first one" Derek replied assessing the situation.

"Fire again!" Korso ordered although he kind of knew what the result would be.

The target remained untouched and the two shields essentially took turns forming an impenetrable layer of protection. They were weaker on their own than regular shielding protecting the remaining parts of the station but these two barriers of energy were impenetrable while working together.

"It's a trap" Korso thought while understanding crept along his face.

"And we took the bait."

At that moment the _Valkyrie_ trembled heavily when the enemy vessels and weapon platforms protecting the station aimed at the unidentified signature and fired their weapons causing Korso to grab hold of Gune in order to stay on his feet.

"Sir the enemy ships have detected us and have opened fire" Derek stated.

"You all know what to do!" Korso ordered quickly climbing the stairs and taking his place as the Captain again.

The attack failed but at least they had the intel they needed. Now they just had to make sure that it could be put to good use instead of going up in smoke together with the rest of the ship.

"Aye Captain!" Akima yelled over the noise of hits striking the _Valkyrie_'s shielding.

She fired up the engines past full power making good use of the extra energy channeled to the ship's propulsion systems. And they were gonna need it because several ships were already moving in to intercept. Small attack fighters and the fast interceptors they met on their way to the system were already in pursuit as the _Valkyrie_ sped on her way to safety.

"Yani! How far are you with those sensors ghosts? We're gonna need them since half the system will be chasin' us in a few moments!" Korso yelled grabbing hold of the armrests attached to his chair when a direct hit struck the aft shields causing small eruptions of sparks on the bridge.

"Ready Captain" the female officer replied.

"Don't know if they're gonna fall for it though."

She tapped a few buttons on her console and invisible signatures simulating the _Valkyrie_ were projected all around the ship. They weren't able to follow a different course than the _Valkyrie_'s but since targeting sensors couldn't tell the difference between an imitation and the real thing the Machines took the bait and a significant number of hits missed the real _Valkyrie_. In combination with Akima's erratic flying, they managed to get past the second planet without too much damage.

"You're doing well Akima" Korso encouraged her.

"The problem isn't the amount of ships behind us sir, it's the amount of crap that's still ahead of us!" she said a bit snappier then she meant.

The enemy vessels just kept chasing her and she hated a chase, especially when she was the one being chased.

"If we're not past the third planet when they catch up with us we're finished."

An explosion sounded somewhere on the lower decks when something powerful struck the ships aft section from above almost knocking her of course. Akima was battling with the controls to keep the ship straight but lost some ground in doing so.

"Looks like your trick worked out!" Korso said with a frown while another power relais blew and monitors flickered.

"Shields are at fifty six percent!" Reese reported.

"I'm sorry sir, they have adapted their sensors" Ensign Cho replied.

"Cale activate cloak as soon as you find a gap in their firing pattern!"

"That last hit took out the cloak!" Cale yelled back, trying the best he could to keep everything running.

"See if you can get it back!" Korso ordered.

Cale nodded and hasted himself off the bridge down to main engineering trying to recall everything the Starfleet engineer told him about the technology.

"Brian take over" Korso ordered his First Officer who switched control over the engineering systems to his own console.

"Diverting all available power to engines and shields sir" Brian confirmed taking over Cale's job.

He knew a few things about engineering but not as much as the young man did. Some people loved being around machines all day but not if they wanted to blow you back to the other end of the galaxy.

"Is warp drive still online?!" Korso wanted to know.

Without warp they were doomed since the whole system was collapsing in on them just as Cale had predicted. With the enemy moving in from all directions it was impossible to get through on impulse.

"Warp drive is still functional but not for long if they keep hammering us like this!" Brian replied.

"Akima" Korso said between clenched teeth.

"Captain" Akima replied stretching out the word as she pulled back hard on the controls.

There was not a single place they could hide but with the third planet and the edge of the inhibitor field at a couple of million kilometers it wouldn't take long now.

"Our shields are failing!" Derek yelled.

"C'mon old bird, you can do this" Akima whispered with her Captain's alerting voice yelling over the explosions on the bridge.

She was sweating all over her body from exertion and her heart was beating so fast that it almost pushed itself out of her chest. Everything depended on her flying skills. It all happened so fast. One moment they were chased by almost every ship in the system and another she brought the battered _Valkyrie_ to warp as soon as they crossed the invisible barrier. In a fraction of a second it looked like everything around her happened in slow motion. When she looked aside which somehow cost her remarkable effort she saw Gune's face smiling. When she looked up she saw her Captain moving his fist in a triumphing manor. She watched the others letting go of the controls with a sigh of relief.

All the happy faces including her own suddenly changed into a mask of fear and panic when something incredibly powerful struck the aft section with such force that that her head slammed against the console in front of her cracking the glass panel and rendering it useless. Regular lighting went out and the emergency lights kicked in spreading their dim glare over the destroyed bridge. A massive shockwave knocked the _Valkyrie_ out of warp when her warp field suddenly collapsed. Akima partially failed to notice this as the blow made her dizzy and disoriented. The now darkened bridge was turning circles around her and with her blurry vision the last thing she saw was her own blood dripping on the broken glass of the console and the feeling of the immense pain in her head. The hand she brought up to support her head was covered with blood and she felt herself losing consciousness. Akima felt out of her chair and collapsed to the deckplating near a small fire that had started near a blown conduit. She lost all of her strength and her eyes felt shut with only Cale's name on her lips.

Once again the Senate on New Earth was filled with the representatives of each world of the Republic. The large domed hall with the rows of chairs divided into sections for each of the different worlds was filled ambassadors, representatives, high-ranking military officers and other people involved in the ongoing conflict. Snatches of alien languages got picked up by Christopher Laroc's universal translator who turned them into expressions of concern and fear. It didn't take long before the defeat of the Republican forces had reached every single corner of the quadrant and it was beginning to look like a desperate undertaking. Despite everything they had tried. Forging an alliance, coming up with new technologies to wage war, receiving aid from a different version of Earth that existing in another universe they still got beaten and the Machines were still at large. Because of his excellent performance during the formation of the Republic and his ability to make species, which had been on the brink of war with each other work together, he was eventually chosen as the Supreme Chancellor. A man for the people of the Republic and the man who had to keep them together during difficult times like this.

"Here we go" he thought.

Amanda had such confidence in him. After all, exopolitics was his thing and he had been the person who managed to convince the Chancellor of Solbrecht to let a few million human refugees stay on the planet. It had taken him three days of pleading and making promises to contribute to the society to make it work but eventually the four-armed alien had agreed. This meeting however was maybe even more important because if the alliance breaks apart, there was simply no way they were able to defend New Earth from an attack. They would be wiped off the face of the planet in less time it would take him to say 'Drej'.

"If I can have your attention please" his calm amplified voice reached to every corner of the acoustically designed building.

His voice had a soothing effect on the attendants and most voices felt silent immediately after he had spoken.

"As you all know, the situation is extremely dire."

When his eyes traced across the rows centered around the circle on which he was standing he saw several people nodding in affirmation. Some of them whispered inaudibly and some of them were just staring down the rows with a pleading look in their eyes, almost begging for a solution to the whole thing.

"I've called for this emergency meeting of the Senate because the situation is spiraling out of control and is growing more desperate as we speak."

He paused, looking if he had their full attention, which he irrevocably had.

"We have to evacuate all outlying, poorly defended colonies and outposts and retract our forces around a tighter perimeter."

"We have tried that and it didn't work" a Vusstran with a shaky voice yelled standing up from his place.

He gained support from the rest of his race who encouraged him to continue.

"They have attacked our home planet and crippled most of our fleet, we managed to drive them away but at a terrible cost. Parts of our cities are in ruins and the death-count is in the millions."

The alien's lower lip trembled and his eyes turned watery.

"And where was the Republic at that time? I had family living in the area's that were hit. You know what's left of it? Nothing but ashes and scorched dirt."

Chris was feeling sorry for the alien. In wars like this, innocent civilians always got targeted, either by mistake or deliberately to create fear in the hearts of the people and to force the military to lay down arms. But this time, it was nothing less than an attempt at extermination.

"You're not the only one!" one of the large four-armed Solbrechtians supported him.

"Several colonies of alien origin on the surface of our planet have been attacked by those Machines and their respective governments are blaming us for the losses! They are blaming us for the lack of civilian protection that the Republic should have offered!"

The anger of the large alien hit Chris right in the face.

"We are all suffering losses" Chris continued feeling the tension between the representatives rise.

He was losing control over the situation and he could feel it. There was a certain tension in the air that was almost touchable.

"A plan has been set in motion to end this war. At this moment, an attempt is made to strike the enemy where it hurts the most and is very likely fatal."

"And if they fail?"and Akrennian asked.

"They will certainly not" a large Mantrin replied turning the doubt into certainty.

"That assault team consists of the finest warriors in the Empire. Nothing is impossible for them."

"Again, and if they fail?" the Akrennian directed his question at Chris again, lying the emphasis on the word 'fail'.

This time he provoked a rather volatile response from the Mantrin who rose up on his massive legs.

"Why you little…" he roared pointing his sharp clawed finger at the other.

"Please stay calm ambassador" Chris continued at the same calm tone as before.

"He dares to question the abilities of the Imperial Elite Assault Force! I will…"

"Ambassador" Chris warned the alien who directed his angry face at the human.

"As you said yourself, nothing is impossible. So the possibility also exists that things don't happen to turn out as they planned."

That was the point where the Mantrin had to admit that Chris was right. It calmed the short-tempered alien down to the point where he took his seat again and listened to what he had to say next.

"If we fail… We just have to find another solution."

When Chris had spoken out the last word it looked like the fuse had reached its end. The entire hall exploded into an inaudible clamoring. Everyone was yelling and no longer listening to what he or anyone else had to say. Chris could feel the alliance wobbling on its foundation just like the Senate building was doing at the moment. Everything they had worked so hard to achieve for could collapse in the next few moments. It gave him an intense feeling of failure. Like it was his fault that the human race and pretty much every other race in the quadrant would vanish under the marching threat of a race of Machines. Someone ran down between the rows to the middle of the hall, to the place where Chris was standing. When he heard the man's footsteps above the yelling of the representatives he turned around to face a Republican officer in navy blue uniform. He judged the man in his late forties by the traces of grey in his hair and the experience his face radiated and the insignia on his collar indicated that he was Captain. The patch on his shoulder stated RSS _Arcadia_ and he knew instantly that the man had been involved in the lost battle for Xirosa.

"Let me try somethin'" he said making preparations to speak to the crowd.

Despite all his experience Chris knew it would only make things worse if he talked to the crowd again and thereby let him continue.

"Silence!" The man's voice bellowed through the hall abruptly ending all discussions.

"Who are you?" one of the Indarians asked.

The fox-like alien shot him a scornful glance and it didn't look like he was going to take another word from a human.

"My name is Captain Michael Jericho. Captain of the _Arcadia_."

They were all beginning to mumble again but Michael wasn't planning on letting them walk over him like this.

"I've seen the horrors you're speaking of with my own eyes. My ship was commanding the retreat after the Akrennian command ship had to launch its escape pods. I've seen members of my crew being sucked out of the holes in my ship after the attack. I've heard the sound of dying people over the com. system over and over again. I understand your skepticism about the fact that we can't come up with a solution to end this war quickly."

Michael swallowed. He looked at Chris who nodded in approval and continued.

"But honestly, I can't see how fighting each other is going to solve the problem. We are trying our best to help defend your civilians but the Republic can't be everywhere at the same time."

He paused and tried to look every single one of them in the eye, turning a circle to make sure he had everyone's attention.

"The line must be drawn here. As the Mantrin ambassador pointed out earlier, nothing is impossible but we have to keep working together if we want this to work. Please, look at yourself instead of just us. You too can make a difference."

It remained painfully silent for a moment. Chris could feel the sweat running down his body and soaking his ceremonial clothing. He had lost control of the situation but was this man able to restore it again? When someone began to applaud his breath stocked. And when the clapping of hands turned into rolling thunder he let it out with a deep sigh of relief. This man, Michael Jericho, had managed to keep the Republic together for now, something he might not have been able to do on his own. He was delighted when Jericho asked him for a drink.

A couple of moment later Chris was sitting around one of the round tables in an establishment called _The Lighthouse_. This was currently one of the most popular places in the _Heliopolis_ and it received hundreds of customers on a typical day. While Jericho was enjoying a good glass of Fauldran whiskey, he decided to stick with something non-alcoholic. The _Lighthouse_ served such a large variety of drinks that if you wanted to try a different one each day, you'd need an entire lifetime to try them all. The lifetime of a Gauol to be precise.

"That was one of the best speeches I've ever heard" Chris complemented the man who sipped from his glass of whiskey.

"To be honest, I'm not a man of speeches. I just couldn't take it anymore when they were about to skin you alive just because they needed someone to blame for all the deaths."

"Yeah, well, I couldn't say I blame them. We've created this alliance to make an end to all the wars and the suffering but it hasn't been very effective, hasn't it?"

"You know what? I felt exactly the same when the _Arcadia_ left the system. The most advanced ship in the fleet, brand new and outfitted with the latest weapons and technology."

He took another sip of his whiskey to moisture his mouth.

"But in her first battle, she's blasted right back into space dock. You don't wanna how much I felt like I had failed as a Captain."

He looked Chris in the eyes and made him realize what he actually meant.

"I could read your face like an open book. You had the same expression of complete failure written all over your face when you said your thing."

"I guess you're right."

"I had lost confidence in myself. Couldn't cope up with the fact that under my first command crewmen died, the ship took severe damage and that we failed to complete our mission. But my father always told me that you should never give up after the first attempt fails. This is the first time you couldn't solve the problem but that's nothing to be ashamed of. No one has the right to judge you for that."

He emptied his glass, stood up and patted the other man on his shoulder.

"After all we're just humans."

He made preparations to leave the bar and began walking towards the entrance.

"Thanks, for helping me out. And the pep talk of course."

Jericho halted and turned around for one last time.

"You're welcome. Now I've got work to do."

He left _The Lighthouse_ leaving Chris behind, thinking, assessing, trying to come up with some way to make this work. Not he but they, the people of the Republic had to make this work, for the sake of all of them.

Nearly halfway there, Commander Otrin and his team were having a well-earned break in the middle of the forest. On their way to the stronghold of their enemy, they happened to stumble across an ideal spot to do so. On top of a small hill from where they had a good view of their surroundings the Mantrins were sitting in a circular pattern around the top, each one of them capable of defending a position if the need might arise. The Aridanis night was longer than average and it could get quite chilly without a sun. A heat source in the form of a fire or heater would instantly be detected by the Machines so they couldn't take the risk. But their body armor in combination with a special thermal cloth worn under their uniform could keep their bodies up to temperature with the temps ranging from as hot as fifty degrees to minus ten degrees Celsius. Kero was sitting next to his beloved one watching how his breath condensed in the cool air while turning over the data module in his clawed hands. His one was the primary one but all of them had a back-up in case it got lost or destroyed. This data module was their key to success and essentially their ticket off this planet.

"Funny how something so small is capable of doing so much" he thought.

"It's quite beautiful here isn't it?" Stith's voice disturbed his thoughts.

The hill allowed them to see over the tops of most of the trees and when he looked aside he saw that Stith's eyes were directed at the mountains in the distance. She was constantly twitching her ears trying to recognize something in the squealing, squawking and howling sounds all the alien birds and animals deep in the forest made.

"Almost like home" he replied a bit gloomy.

"They made me feel so mad" Stith snarled, anger flickering in her eyes even in the dark.

"This planet is a beautiful place and they're destroying everything."

"Outrageous isn't it?" another Mantrin, a Logri by race replied.

Stith turned around to face the other Mantrin who was lying on his back looking up at the clear sky with its three moons and thousands of tiny shimmering stars.

"Don't you feel hatred towards them? How can you possibly allow such terrible things to happen?" he said thumping with the tip his tail on the ground in annoyance.

"Yeah, I know what you mean" Stith replied clearly feeling that the other Mantrin felt exactly the same as she did.

"I felt exactly the same when I saw that exploiting operation back there."

"I want to shoot something rather badly" she added checking the gun again for the third time since they got here.

It hadn't seen much use yet and she wanted to make a change to that.

"I'm gonna take a little nap" the Logri said letting out a yawn.

"Guy over there told me there's nothing poisonous in the air so you guys don't have to worry about me falling asleep and not waking up again."

He pointed with his gloved hand at a Sogowan/Orketh cross that was actually more or less their field medic. He had to keep track of everyone's health and make sure they didn't suffer any unnecessary losses due to natural causes. Eventually Stith and Kero got caught in the conversations of the others and for a moment it actually became a bit sociable. Since they only had each other for company even Azkun, the cranky Ryrjhii that growled more then she talked opened her mouth. By the look on their faces, she and Nunchaku had definitely found each other and she was rubbing her muzzle to his thick muscular neck which he seemed to find pleasant.

Since Stith was the only one who had paid really close attention to all the sounds of alien wildlife around them, she was also the only one who had noticed that everything had suddenly fallen quiet. The birds had stopped singing their nightly songs and for a moment it looked like not a single leaf was moving. When Otrin noticed how she flicked her ears and looked around her to see if she could spot movement he knew it was too late. Small beams of light exited the forest on several locations surrounding the hill followed by the flying disc it belonged to. Kero's hearts skipped a few beats when he stood up together with the others and saw that nearly every means of escape was blocked by the devices. A few directions weren't covered yet but as he knew the drones were fast and also clever so maybe they were deliberately letting a hole fall into their blockade. "Looks like you get your wish" he whispered after he recalled what Stith just told him about wanting to shoot something. The members of Otrin's team lightning fast activated their eyepieces and pointed their guns at their hovering mechanical enemies. When the devices' sensors detected them the ominous metallic clang of multiple sets of extending metal blades bellowed over the low hill making each one of the Mantrins extremely nervous. The nervousness was strengthened by the low buzzing sound the blades made when they began to spin at a rapid velocity making them capable of cutting through flesh and bone with ease. Stith's finger was shaking around the trigger of her weapon aiming at one of the drones and waiting for Otrin's signal to take it out with one precise shot at full power. The same thing was going through all of their minds over and over again. They had them surrounded.


	39. Chapter 37 Hunted

**Hunted**

The buzzing sound of rapid spinning blades was everywhere. The little hovering devices had surrounded the small low hill, which the team had been using for their little break.

"How were they able to track us down this fast?" it flashed through Stith's mind.

_Very likely followed a trail or something, or one of their dropships picked their lifesigns up on scanners._ Kero had known that it was only a matter of time before the Machines tracked them down. The fact that they still had quite a few kilometers to go before they reached the complex complicated things a bit.

"Open fire on three" appeared in text on all Mantrin's eyepieces.

The text was replaced by a small three in the upper right corner. Constantly adjusting her aim at the device which was defying gravity using a small anti-grav drive Stith held her finger lightly around the trigger.

"2"

Only two seconds and they would be running for their lives. However the Mantrin's unusual leg configuration made running a difficult thing to practice and it would sooner end up in a combination of stumbling and shooting while avoiding the enemy's attacks. The difficult terrain in the forests made it even harder for them since their opponents were hovering above all of this.

"1"

Just one second and Otrin would order them to fire and make a run for it. Staying together would be the most important thing since individually they were an easy target. With these forests being completely unknown to them and since they didn't come across any places that seemed like a good hiding place during an attack there was no guarantee that they would come out of this fight alive. "Fire!" Otrin's voice yelled ordering to pull the trigger. Bright flashes of bluish light flew over the grass field and lighted up the environment. Thanks to the Mantrin's excellent vision and training all eleven fired shots were direct hits, destroying their targets and reducing them to pieces of scrap metal.

_**Authors note: Music track 26.**_

However the destruction of their companions made the other drones fly up like a cloud of angry bees amassing to attack making it impossible for the Mantrins to get another direct shot. A hole had fallen into their blockade giving the Mantrins room to escape. As fast as her large triple-jointed legs could carry her, Stith rushed to the cover the trees offered from the Machines' direct attacks. Keeping an eye on Kero as she did she noticed that he followed her, firing blindly behind him to anything that certainly would follow. The buzzing of the spinning metal blades somehow had an angry pitch to it when the little disks followed Otrin and his team deeper into the forest. Stith's eyes were able to see adequately in the dark and she stayed as closely behind the other warriors' tails as she could. The unnerving buzzing sound encouraged them to keep up the pace, however the Machines would eventually catch up with them and they had to face them. That eventually happened and Otrin did manage to steer them into the direction of a gigantic tree that was much older and larger than the rest of the trees in the forest. It was massive and the truck was so thick at could cover the backs of three Mantrins standing side by side. Despite the higher oxygen levels in the atmosphere of the planet, Stith and Kero were still panting when they pressed their backs covered by the armored backpacks against the trunk of the tree for cover. The others seemed to have less trouble with it but pointed the flashlights attached to their weapons at the tree line. A couple of drones appeared with great speed from between the trees and began ferociously attacking the Mantrins. Stith aimed her weapon at the closest one of the fast flying devices and fired but her experience in battles wasn't of much help this time. It dove under her shot and adjusted its angle to cut off her right leg at the middle segment. However her partner at her left side, the same Logri who had been talking to her on the hill noticed it just in time and took it out before it could do any harm.

"Thanks" Stith brought out between two breaths as she aimed for the next one. With the tree as back cover they had one direction less to worry about but didn't exactly provide her with much maneuverability. The gun was large and heavy and the Machines were actually flying too fast for them. A couple more showed up and the ones currently harassing the group already provided them with enough to do. It didn't take long before the first scream of pain followed up by an ugly curse reached her ears.

"My leg!" the male Mantrin roared in anger and pain. The spinning blade had cut deep into his flesh and blood gulfed out of the wound spraying into the grass.

"Cover him!" Otrin yelled. Unfortunately that meant letting go of the cover of the tree and a couple of brave soldiers came forward to cover their wounded brother in arms. They aimed their guns at anything that moved and just kept shooting to keep them off his back. The Sogowan/Orketh field medic let go of his weapon, opened his armored backpack and dropped to his knees to take care of the wounded soldier in the middle of the fight, trying to remain calm with all the explosions, shots fired and razor-sharp Machines trying to shred them all to pieces. Stith was impressed with Nunchaku's skills who grabbed the doctor's weapon in his other strong hand and single-handedly used two C4M's to take out a few drones. The Ryrjhii couldn't keep this up for long however and got hit himself too. One of the drones flew right past his lower back underneath the armored backpack, its blade cutting right through the armor the Mantrin was wearing and right into his flesh. Nunchaku's mighty roar bellowed over the small open spot and drew the attention of Azkun, who moved closer to him to assist the other member of her race. Nunchaku bit his teeth and growled in anger and pain while he fell on his right knee. He dropped the medic's weapon but held on to his own and just kept fighting. Otrin himself wasn't doing bad at all but got angry and fought even more fiery when his men felt prey to the Machines.

"Just die, you mechanical monsters!" he yelled trying to cover his fallen men in the heat of battle.

He was fighting together with Rajah in almost perfect unison. The two Mantrins assisting each other and in this way taking out more drones in a faster rate.

"Spare your grenades, were gonna need them much harder once we're on their ground!" Otrin yelled when the detonation of a photon grenade blew a crater in the ground sending dirt into every direction.

It wasn't of much use since their enemy's were very maneuverable flyers. The medic was doing the best he could with what little specialized medical tools he had available. He was trained to perform his vital duties under any situation and that's what he also did this time, sealing the deep wound through which his patient lost a lot of blood with a tissue regenerator. Luckily it didn't hit the bone, otherwise the Mantrin would be incapacitated and they had to leave him, which would certain mean condemning him to death.

"Nice shooting!" one of the soldiers complemented Kero while he took out another drone together with Stith. Stith's shot forced the drone to evade her shot to the right where Kero aimed and took it out. Although the Mantrin Prince always looked for a way to avoid unnecessary battle, he was good with a weapon in case he had to defend himself.

"Thanks" he brought out, finally letting out the breath he was holding for too long.

"Watch out!" Stith yelled when another one made a move that brought it up to height for another attack on her beloved one.

The other Mantrin next to Kero fired and Kero dove to the ground when the remains of the device drilled itself into the trunk of the tree just where his neck had been a second ago. A fine rain of tree bark splinters covered his back while the Prince pressed himself up with a single arm.

"Thanks again" he panted.

Just when Stith thought everything went well, three drones without blades showed up from the forests. These devices where different from the others and only had a small gun barrel with an ammo magazine attached to it aimed at the group.

"What is in the name of?…" she brought out while trying not let her attention slip away.

"Take those out!" she yelled trying to get the others' attention and warn them about the new danger.

She aimed her weapon but missed, these drones were just as maneuverable as their sharp brothers and since they could stay at a distance for their type of attack it was almost impossible to hit them. More spinners appeared out of the forest and Stith grinded her teeth in frustration. The only thing she accomplished was delaying the new drones by denying them a good shot. After two more misses, despite her experience with dozens of weapons she gave up.

"For Kirliya's sake!" she growled dropping the gun to the ground.

It hit the ground with a heavy thump. Instead, she unholstered her favorite pair of blasters and aimed and fired purely on her instincts as a warrior. And as a warrior she only had one pair of weapons that were completely hers, like an extension of her own body. Like a sentry turret on legs she moved around the battle field, evading attack spinners and taking them out with her double blasters faster than the others with their high-tech weapons. But eventually it became even too much for her and one of the new drones aimed for the only vulnerable target. The doctor, who just finished taking care of Nunchaku, lifted the backpack on his strong shoulders grabbed his gun and wanted to enter the fight again but didn't see the attack coming. With a popping sound, a small projectile left the muzzle of one of the other drones with such force that it pierced the armor the medic was wearing and entered his body between both his hearts. For a short moment everyone looked at the unfortunate Mantrin's face that was twisted in horror and pain. The Sogowan/Orketh dropped his weapon and stumbled back towards the tree, muttering something indistinct. He looked at the hole in his armor through which blood leaked in the grass to the drone which had fired it. The hand he had used to cover the hole was covered with blood and the ears of all Mantrins pricked when they picked up a faint beep. The beep changed into series of beeps that followed each other up faster and faster. The beep was unmistakably coming from the dart that had nested itself into his chest.

"Help" the Mantrin brought out weakly.

He looked at them with eyes that screamed out the question if they could please help him.

"Somebody help me!" he yelled when the series of beeps turned into an unending one.

For one second they were staring at him, the stricken member of their own race crying for mercy. After that single second his body disintegrated in the explosion that followed, covering Stith, Kero and the others with blood, slime and intestines. Stith's muzzle dropped open for a second, unable to hold what she had just seen. The horrific image was burned forever on her retina. She was so shocked that her concentration faded for only one fatal moment. One moment which one of the remaining spinners used to attack her. A white hot pain shot through her left arm when the spinning blade cut through her flesh. She screamed in pain and anger and dropped her weapons to support her wounded arm with her remaining one. The smell of blood and intestines and the immense pain in her arm made her retch and caused her to collapse on her first set of knees.

"No" she brought out, deactivating the eyepiece and throwing it into the grass together with the heavy backpack.

When Kero heard her scream he immediately craned his neck to see what happened. When he saw her one the ground with a heavily bleeding arm and close to throwing up he forced his way towards her.

"Stith! No!" he yelled in fear for her life.

Although there were only a few spinner drones left, they were difficult to take out and were beginning to claim their victims. When Kero heard another scream her heard the voice of his brother.

"The Commander is down! C'mon everyone, take out those damn things!"

"They're fast, I can't keep up with their moveme…"

Another loud scream that ended in gargling. When Stith looked up she saw one of the drones slamming into the Mantrin's waist, completely separating his torso from his legs. Blood and intestines sprayed out over the ground and the stench of the inside of the body filled her nostrils. This time it was too much and the combination of three different factors caused her stomach to retract. Vomit forced its way up her throat and the acidic mixture pressed itself out of her beak and nose. She coughed violently, still clamping her other arm and trying to close off her mind from all the horrors she had seen and the pain she endured.

"They are thinning us out" it flashed through her mind in terror.

Sweat covered every inch of her body and the sweatbands around her head and wrist were soaked with it, the left one mixed with blood. It seemed like eternity before she finally heard the forest around her again, this time free of the buzzing of the drones, the gunshots and the explosions of the missed darts. She felt so relieved when she heard Kero's warm but worried voice in her ear.

"Stith, no" he brought out, afraid to lose her.

He fell on his knees beside her and pressed her tightly against him. He quickly released her to take a look at her arm. His bright blue eyes were filled with worries when he assessed the situation.

"It's not looking to good is it?" Stith brought out between two breaths.

She spat on the ground to get the sour taste out of her beak and growled in pain.

"The medic is dead and his equipment died with him. They are using the most horrid weapons I've ever seen on us."

When she looked past him she saw the others trying to take care of their Commander. Otrin was lying on his back on the ground, possibly mortally wounded. She brought herself back on feet with Kero supporting her and stumbled towards her CO, leaving a trail of blood in the grass. Halfway there she collapsed again, gaining the attention of some of the others. Rajah, Azkun and Nunchaku stepped up to help her but Stith shook her head.

"You've gotta stop the bleeding" she panted feeling herself become dizzy from the bloodloss.

"The medic had the only tissue regenerator powerful enough to heal deeper wounds" Rajah said.

Stith lowered her eyes, trying to come up with an idea to solve this particular problem. She had one in mind but it was going to be extremely painful.

"Rajah, would it be possible to adjust a C4M in a setting so that it would only produce heat?"

"I think it's possible, just use the lowest setting without stun."

Stith looked at Kero urging him to do it with a faint nod. Kero adjusted his weapon according to Stith specifications with a little help of his brother.

"Okay but what are you planning to?…"

His eyes grew large when he realized what she was planning.

"No. You cannot be…"

"Aim for wound" Stith brought out exposing her heavily bleeding left arm to Kero.

Raw flesh could be seen in the deep cut that desecrated her skin.

"It's probably gonna leave a scar" she said trying to be sarcastic.

"I'm not going to shoot you" Kero said softly putting the gun down.

"You must" Stith urged him.

She coughed and spat on the ground again.

"I don't wanna make you suffer anymore than you already are."

Something that resembled anger flashed through her eyes. _Why did he always had to make it more difficult?_

"Damn it Kero! Just do it! Do you want me to die?! Now aim that gun and pull the trigger! How hard can it be?!"

She frightened the Prince with her hard words but made him realize this was currently the only solution. Bringing the muzzle of his weapon close to her skin and trying not to make his hands shake, Kero aimed for the wound. Tears rolled down his cheeks when Stith's screaming filled the forest when the beam of energy scorched her flesh and sealed the wound shut. When he was finished he tossed the weapon away, horrified by using such a terrible piece of machinery on the person he loved more than anything else. He sunk on his knees and pressed her tightly against him.

"I'm so sorry" he gasped.

"It's all right" Stith said finally able to catch her breath.

Azkun, Nunchaku and Rajah were astonished about what they had just seen.

"You are both worthy" Azkun complemented them with a nod.

Stith answered her complement with a smirk.

"Thanks Azkun."

She and Kero stood up, Stith still a bit unsteady on her legs. The bloodloss had made her a bit dizzy but apparently Otrin was in a bad shape. When she approached the remaining warriors she understood why. He was dying. A large piece of debris from a destroyed drone stuck in his chest. A small red pool had already formed around his body, indicating he was losing blood at a rapid pace and his punctured lung was denying him air to breathe. His breathing was more like gargling and irregular and he coughed up blood after each few short breaths. His weapon, backpack and broken eyepiece were lying on the ground next to him.

"Stith" he brought out weakly, signaling her with a last effort by raising his arm.

Blood trickled from the corner of his beak and it cost him the greatest effort to speak.

"I'm here sir" Stith said grabbing Otrin's hand.

"Would you please grant us a last moment of privacy" he said to the others.

The Commander squeezed his eyes shut and bit his bloodied teeth in pain, the sharp edges of the metal debris cutting into his flesh with each time he drew breath.

"Stith, I'm not gonna be with you till the end" he said weakly.

"Shut it. You're coming with us."

But when she looked at his injuries she realized how hollow her words sounded. They couldn't even move him without killing him instantly and since no one out there except for the Machines would pick up a distress call there was no way of getting him out of here alive.

"You're a fine warrior Stith. You look even more like your mother then you might realize."

He spoke haltingly between each irregular breath. When he began talking about her mother again, silent tears filled Stith's copper-colored eyes.

"I'm proud of you Stith, like a father would be."

"You are my?..."

"I'm not your father, though I wish I was. We didn't exactly meet on the best of terms. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize sir. You know, in some way my anger made you dig up the memory of my mother."

Otrin groaned in one last burst of pain. He weakly grabbed her hand to tell her one last thing.

"Regarding the mission. Take Rajah. He would be a fine leader for this squad. He's young, intelligent and experienced."

He signaled her to come closer.

"Finish the mission. Save our species and many others."

Otrin's eyes turned glassy and his head felt to the side when he blew out his last breath to make 'the crossing'. Stith was holding his powerless hand in hers until it finally came to her that he was dead. The only person she knew, who had personally known her mother died a horrible death in front of her eyes. They couldn't even take his body back to Sogowa. He died on honorable warrior's death on the battlefield just like all warrior's who lived for the fight wanted to be remembered. Stith closed the Commander's eyes and prayed to Kirliya. That she would take good care of the soul of this brave warrior and grand him all the health and happiness he ever hoped for in his life. After her prayer she stood up and faced the surviving members of the assault squad. All of them suffered from minor injuries like bruises and small cuts from flying metal pieces of debris and blades that grazed exposed skin.

"He's dead."

She had said the thing that anyone would have expected. No one could survive a wound like that.

"We've lost three men, including or Commander and our medic. But we can mourn for them later. Right now, we have to complete the mission, like Otrin would have wanted."

She looked each one of them in the eyes. And those eyes had anything except doubt in it. Despite the losses they all seemed just as determined as before to eliminate the threat and get the hell off this planet.

"Let's face it, no one can retrieve us until we do so, so we better make the most of it. Rajah, Otrin selected you as his successor. Don't disappoint him."

Kero's brother stepped forward and nodded firmly.

"Yes ma'am" the younger Prince replied.

Stith switched positions with Rajah and now it was his turn to lead this battered team to victory.

"Well, you've heard her! Let's claim our victory for the Empire and for those no longer able to share it with us!"

The reactions he received weren't dull at all and it only took the others a short moment to grab their gear, slide a new powerpack into their weapons and be ready for battle again.

"Here" Kero said handing Stith her eyepiece he had found in the grass.

She put it back where it belonged and activated it, the optical device synchronizing with her weapon again. She picked up her blasters she had dropped during the fight and holstered them, the weight on her hips comforting her. As long as she wore those with her, she had a chance. With renewed determination after the loss of three men, the downsized group got back onto their original course through the forests of Aridanis IV, on their way to their hated enemy.

"Akima. Akima wake up."

Someone was shaking her shoulder. The male voice sounded friendly and wanted her to wake up. But for some reason she couldn't. She felt like a ship crash-landed on her head and she only wanted to keep lying still because pretty much everything else hurt. The man however kept shaking her shoulder which she thought of as pretty darn annoying and when she finally opened her eyes she saw the silhouette of a man's face hovering above her in a dimly lit environment. She squeezed them shut again and groaned. When she opened them again the silhouette had taken the shape of Korso's face. He was wounded too but nothing serious. Apart from a few scratches on his face and a couple of bruises on parts of his body he was fine.

"Captain?" she asked.

Her question ended in coughing. The smoke from small fires and the dust of exploded consoles made the unfiltered air difficult to breathe and Korso helped her to stand up and brought her to her chair. Blood from the wound on her forehead trickled down her face, sticking to her hand when she pulled one of the purple locks of hair from her field of vision.

"What happened?"

"We took a direct hit. Main power is offline and we are operating on limited reserves."

Korso sighed.

"They hit the warp drive while we were using it. It knocked us out of warp. Don't know how much damage they caused."

"The aft section" it flashed through her mind.

"Oh my God, Cale!"

She tried to struggle and release herself but Korso held her firmly pressed on the chair.

"There's nothing we can do for now."

"We've gotta do somethin'!" she yelled still fighting him to break free of his strong grip.

"Akima listen to me" Korso said with a tutoring voice.

"The place is a mess. Gune has gone to the infirmary which luckily is still in one piece to treat the injured. Clever Starfleet people. Even gave the infirmary its own small powersupply and life-support system."

Korso paused.

"You're injured, better go and see him too while I try to do something to help Cale."

"You're in no condition to do something" he added when he saw her making preparations to retort.

Akima took a deep breath and took a good look around. The bridge itself was still relatively intact except from all the blown consoles and conduits due to the sudden overload. Dim red emergency lighting was operating and there were no collapsed bulkheads but systems were down for sure. When she looked up at the secondary level she though she saw flashes of light. After a pretty bright one and a small shockwave, not big enough to cause more damage hit the ship causing pieces of debris to move over the deckplating with a rattling sound and sparking conduits to dangle.

"Is there fighting outside?" she asked supporting her aching head.

"The _Highlander_ and _Son of the Empire_ are keeping the little surprises we brought back with us off our back. They will assist us when they've chased them off."

"After they chased them off?" she thought.

For all they know, Cale could be dead in a matter of minutes if he didn't receive proper medical aid. And she was not planning on letting that happen.

"I think I'm gonna see Gune" she said standing up from the chair biting her teeth against the pain and pretending she could do it alone.

Korso however didn't fall for it and began to support her.

"Easy there. I'll help ya get to sickbay."

Leaning on Korso's shoulder she stumbled to the exit of the bridge. The automatic door was forced open and she decided to take her chance. She gently let go of Korso and brought her elbow into position to hit his stomach.

"You know, I'm glad to have you as a pilot again. I don't think that if... Aarghh!"

Feeling her strength coming back, Akima slammed her elbow into her Captain's stomach and made a run for it. She hasted through the corridors down to main engineering where Cale went when the cloak had failed, hearing Korso's indistinct yelling in the background.

"Damn it woman! It's dangerous down there!" he growled clamping his painful stomach.

He let himself fall back against the bulkhead, his ship supporting his weight.

"Love can be a powerful and foolish motivation" he muttered.

Like she cared. Akima would never forgive herself if Cale died while she could've been there to prevent it. She passed sickbay briefly noticing Gune providing medical aid to the wounded crew when she shot a glance through the open door.

"Hold on Cale I'm coming."

When she reached the back of the ship the way was obstructed by some debris. It cost her more effort than usual to toss the pieces of collapsed bulkhead away but eventually she managed to free the door. She opened a small panel near the automated plate of metal preventing her from reaching her wounded beloved one and rammed the manual override button. With a soft hiss the door's lockout was released providing a small opening where she could get her fingers through. By using every single piece of weakened muscle in her body she managed to force it open. A cloud of smoke and other gaseous compounds forced its way outside making Akima cough and press her arm against her mouth.

"Damn it… Cale!" she yelled trying to see anything through the thick cloud gas.

The air filters of the life-support system were only running on reserve power and it wasn't enough to vent the gas. She didn't even know for certain if the gas was toxic and if it was safe to enter but she decided to take the risk. The ion-matrix was powered down and the only thing she heard was the hissing of gas and the sparking of broken conduits. A few consoles flickered and the emergency lights only provided very little light through the gas cloud. Taking small steps and being very careful of where she stepped she entered the damaged heart of the ship trying to inhale as little of the unknown gaseous substance as possible. Cale had gotten down to see if he could get the cloak back online so she figured he must be near it. He probably lost consciousness otherwise he would have escaped on his own. She headed into the direction where the cloaking device was installed until her foot hit something soft. When she looked down through the mist obstructing her view she recognized Cale. His face was covered with smudges and an ugly burn marked his right cheek. He wasn't moving and she immediately sunk on her knees to help him.

"Cale!"

In order to help she had to remove her arm from her mouth. She held her breath before she did and checked Cale's pulse and breathing. He was still alive but she had to get him out of here soon otherwise the gas could damage his lungs or perhaps more. She moved over to the side of his arms, grabbed Cale's motionless body under his armpits and began dragging him to the direction of the exit. She couldn't do it without breathing and when she was about to take a deep breath she coughed violently. The gas was thick and difficult to breath and it made her even dizzier then she already was.

"Maybe Korso was right" she thought.

"No time to think about it right now. I have to get him out of here."

But the coughing got worse and the more she tried the worse it got. Akima collapsed to the ground, her lungs burning and her vision blurry. Another small shockwave hit the ship, this time causing a small secondary explosion into the damaged engine room. Dizzy and disoriented she began to crawl towards the exit.

"Gotta get some help" she thought.

Just when she was about to fully collapse her Captain's feet appeared in front of him. Korso quickly sunk through his knees and grabbed Akima's head to place a breather mask over her face. She took a deep shrieking breath after which the oxygen began to rinse her lungs of all the filth she had breathed in. While she tried to catch her breath, Korso wearing the same mask as hers applied another one on Cale's face and grabbed the young man in his strong arms to drag him out of engineering. Akima followed her Captain out of the dangerous place and to sickbay. Gune had just finished treating another unconscious crewman who had more severe injuries and quickly prepared another bed for Cale. Sickbay had gotten slightly larger since the overhaul and now had three beds and up to date medical equipment to keep the crew in perfect health.

"Quick, quick. Boy needs help" Gune yelped, collecting all kinds of medical devices.

Korso gently placed the man on the only bed still empty and removed his own breather mask. He turned around to face Akima with an angry expression on his face.

"I told you that I would take care of it! What were you thinking?! I could've lost you!"

Akima pulled the mask of her face, angry at herself because she knew he was right and also failed to do it herself. She had to admit that blindly running into a room filled with an unknown gaseous compound wasn't the smartest thing to do but her love for Cale just blinded her for a moment.

"I couldn't help it! I couldn't just sit here and do nothing while he was dying!" she yelled back in powerless anger.

Korso crossed his arms and shook his head.

"I know you're not afraid to take risks but this was just stupid. I actually should lock you up for insubordination."

"What?!" she exclaimed.

"I know it was stupid! Yet I thought I just couldn't forgive myself if something happened to him that's why!"

"All right, all right calm down!"

"Quiet! Gune needs to concentrate!" Gune squawked.

The alien was busy hooking Cale up to a few monitors and strange looking devices and made up a diagnosis.

"How is he?" Akima asked with a soft voice, stepping closer to Cale's body.

"Gune can easily fix boy's skin" the alien said while healing the burn and other small superficial wounds with a tissue regenerator.

"But gas has damaged his lungs. He needs lung tissue regeneration, otherwise oxygen uptake in his blood will be insufficient."

"I think she wants to know if he'll make it" Korso said.

"Don't worry about it. Boy will make it if Gune is finished."

Gune continued with preparing the right equipment while Korso guided Akima out of sickbay. He pulled an arm around her shoulder and brought her to her quarters.

"I wouldn't bother too much about it, Gune's an excellent doctor."

"Thanks, for getting me and him out of there."

"Hey, the best pilot I've ever seen and my chief engineer. I wouldn't forgive _myself_ it I would lose you two."

He smirked at seeing the expression on her face.

"Get away you freak" she laughed pushing him away in a gently manor.

Korso laughed too and left her standing in front of her door.

"Collect the stuff you need for a couple of days. When the _Highlander_ arrives we're gonna leave her so that she can receive the necessary repairs."

"Aye Captain" Akima acknowledged pressing the manual release button of the door of her quarters. _Better hope that Stith and the others didn't run into too much trouble down there._

An electrifying tension could be felt in the air around the eight remaining members of the strike team. They were close to their goal and it wouldn't take long for them now to reach the complex. On a few frequent moments where they could see though the cover of the forest they could already see the odd-looking construction of the Artificial Intelligence. The large amounts of energy being transmitted between different parts of the complex at the tips of the columns created friction with the surrounding atmosphere that resulted in localized thunderstorms. The scanners interfaced with the Mantrin's eyepieces went wild at such an enormous nearby source of pure energy. However the long trip through the woods had caused a significant drain on their own energy and the Mantrins who didn't have special training and genetic enhancement were panting and sweating considerably more than the others. It eventually came to the point where Kero had to stop and rest for a moment. The Mantrin Prince took off the heavy backpack, felt with his back against a tree and closed his eyes while he tried to catch his breath.

"We gotta keep moving Kero" Stith urged him.

"Please, I need, one moment."

Stith signaled his brother Rajah who had taken the lead and brought the rest of the group to a stop.

"He's right, we've gotta rest for a small moment so we can keep our strength for the battle ahead" Rajah decided.

"I don't expect that they'll just let us enter if we knock the door."

Kero wiped the sweat off his forehead using his sweatband and grabbed a water bottle from his belt from which he took a few big gulps. Enjoying the cool refreshing water in his beak he let out a deep sigh. Some of the others decided to do the same and just like him sat down into the grass, constantly on alert for any enemies who decided to show up. Stith pricked her ears while she sat down next to the Prince and checked her weapons. The forest around them had fallen silent, like the animals had fled from this part of their home because they too were well aware of what was lying nearby.

"Any ideas about how we're gonna get inside?" one of the EAF soldiers asked.

"Do you even think they have something like an entrance?" another one replied.

"Maybe we can look for something like an exhaust vent or maintenance shaft" Rajah answered both their questions.

"If they even have a main entrance it's probably too heavily defended for us to enter" Stith added.

"We've gotta slip in through a backdoor of some kind."

"First we need to get there, then we'll see."

For a very short moment all the members of the team heard a soft whistling sound. It lasted only for a fraction of a second before something small hit the tree with a 'pock' sound. When Stith looked at the trunk she noticed a small beeping dart that had penetrated the outer layer of bark and now began to beep faster with each pause in between getting shorter and shorter. In a reflex she grabbed Kero's arm and pulled him with her. He scrambled to his feet in the direction she was taking his arm and grabbed his gear with him.

"I thought we were having a break?" he asked a bit panicky.

"No we've gotta go now!" Stith yelled already on the run with the other's in pursuit.

Not long after that the sound of an explosion reached her ears and a small shockwave and pieces of wood hit her in the back. She heard the loud cracking of wood and a loud thump when the tree came crashing down because it's damaged trunk was unable to hold the crown. The clanging of extending metal blades sounded hollow in her ears while she ran off into the direction of the complex.

"Why didn't our scanners pick them up?!" one of the soldiers asked returning fire behind him while he was running.

"They could have masked their signatures. We don't know what they're capable of" Rajah replied between two breaths while the young team leader led his men through the alien forest.

He didn't know exactly what he was looking for but some cover would be nice. The Machine complex was getting closer and closer on his scanner but they still had a couple of hundred yards to go. They needed a distraction of some kind.

"Keep running!" he yelled while holding position near a tall but relatively thin tree.

He aimed his gun at the trunk just above the base so that it would fall straight into the path of the Machines following his team.

"Rajah what are you doing?!" Stith asked in confusion.

"Don't worry about me! I'm just giving them something other than killing us to think about!" he yelled back.

When the last member passed and with his gun on the highest setting he fired on the tree with a continuous beam which disintegrated part of the trunk and sent the tree crashing down right when a couple of spinner drones wanted to pass. Protecting his eyes with his muscular arm Rajah watched us a couple them were crushed underneath. Something that resembled a smile appeared on the Mantrin's face but was quickly wiped off by another duo of the drones which directly attacked him. He managed to take out the dart drone which spun out of control when the right half disintegrated but even he wasn't fast enough to take out the remaining spinner. The sharp hardened metal blades ripped through the energy rifle cutting it in half and rendering it completely useless. Rajah tossed away the sparkling end of the weapon, small explosions coming from the short circuited powersupply and slit both his vibro-blades from the sheaths around his middle leg segments. The high-frequent humming of the blade reached his ears when he activated them preparing himself for a fight to the death with the remaining drone while the rest of the team got to relative safety. The drone was coming about for another pass and Rajah prepared itself for contact.

The sharp blade approached, ready to cut his head off but Rajah reacted lightning fast and dove aside in the mean time slamming the vibro-blade into the underside of the hovering machine. The drone sparked and crashed against a tree directly in its erratic flight path after which it died with a small explosion. Rajah however hadn't accounted for a second one to attack so quickly until a blinding pain shot through his left leg and shoulder. He had instinctively tried to evade the attack when his ears picked up the direction of the sound but only partially managed to do so. Blood began to flow and the younger Prince let out a load roar from deep within his throat. Luckily the wounds weren't very deep but they were long and the device was making another pass to finish what it had started. Rajah looked death into the eye until death itself exploded and left nothing but debris. When he looked up to see who fired the shot he looked into the same bright blue eyes as his own. The eyes were accompanied by his brother's sharp-toothed smirk.

"Next time _I_'ll worry about you brother" he said.

"I told you to go" Rajah sneered clamping his arm and biting his teeth in pain.

"True but we were forgetting someone" Kero simply replied.

"I don't wanna lose you."

"All right but next time you follow orders" Rajah grumbled remaining harsh.

They quickly caught up with the other's who stood their ground against their own portion of drones they moved on.

"You're injured" Stith remarked fighting off the pesky killing devices.

"Nothing serious. But I've lost my weapon against the freakin' drones" Rajah growled between gritted teeth.

"Here" Stith said handing him her own C4M while unholstering her double blasters.

"But…"

"Take it! I'll always have my own favorite pair" she demanded while continuing to shoot.

"Right" he replied firmly while linking her weapon to his own eyepiece.

_**Authors note: Music track 27.**_

As it was looking now they were facing more casualties soon if they didn't move on. Rajah quickly led them to the walls of the complex while they held off the fire. They finally exited the forest and reached the huge walls surrounding an artificial complex that covered more than four square kilometers. They had never seen anything as big as this. Even the vertical cities on the surface of New Earth were hardly able to match this superstructure although it was not as high. It was heavily protected by gun turrets, armor and shields covering the most vulnerable places and the dampening field covering a huge area around the whole place was emitted by a large tower in the middle of all this. Of course they could only see small part from where they were standing but it was enough to get the size of the construction.

"By Kirliya" a few Mantrins brought out.

But they didn't have time to think. The Machines knew they were here and send more and more killing devices after them.

"Watch out!" Kero yelled when a turret moved into their direction and fired its lasers.

The Mantrins spread out to draw fire into multiple directions and moved along the tree line to find a suitable infiltration point. At first it didn't appear the complex had any weak spots until Rajah spotted an opening in the wall where a vague cloud of steam or another gas was coming from. His sensors didn't detect a lot of heat so it could be their way in. A forcefield was protecting the exhaust vent but nothing a few gun shots couldn't fix.

"There!" he yelled to get the other's attention.

However the Machines were not going to let them enter so easily. Turret's mounted on the wall opened fire and more drones and other sinister looking devices flew into the direction of the team or came crawling over the walls on ticking spider-like mechanical legs. The Mantrins quickly opened fire on the new threats but not without drawing fire themselves. Turret's on the walls exploded, drones spun out of control and the new spider drones with small cutting lasers mounted on top of the agile legged chassis dropped off the wall in smoldering heaps but it wasn't enough. They had to be fast or they would be overrun.

"We need to overload the forcefield" Rajah yelled setting his weapon on the maximum setting and continuous output.

He aimed for the field covering the exhaust vent while he and the rest of his team made a run for it. The powerful beam exited the muzzle of his weapon and clashed with the field causing a sparkling show of light on the barrier shielding the darkness of the tunnel.

"I need more!" Rajah yelled when he saw that his weapon didn't have the desired effect on the field.

The rest of his team did as he said and directed their fire on the target. Seven continuous blue beams and a couple of high-powered blasts from Stith's guns collided simultaneously with the field. The forcefield generator's integrated into the tunnel walls began to spark and smoke and overloaded with a small explosion causing the field to collapse and provide them with a way in. Rajah reached the tunnel first and guided his men inside first.

"Go! Go! Go!" he said pointing with the barrel of his weapon.

He aimed for the pursuiting drones and tried to keep them off their backs for a while. Azkun came in as the last one and aimed her gun at the dozens of approaching enemies until the last moment. However that moment never came. Rajah and also Nunchaku who let himself slide down the tunnel had to watch how Azkun got hit in her back by a couple of plasma bolts from another flying device. A second red laser beam scorched the armor plating protecting her chest sending her down to the ground growling in pain only two meters in front of safety.

"Nooo!" Nunchaku's voice bellowed from the steep tunnel leading down into the darkness.

The last thing he saw before he disappeared was Azkun crashing into the dust of the battlefield.


	40. Chapter 38 infiltration

**Infiltration**

"No" it flashed through Rajah's mind.

Not another one. With all her Ryrjhii strength, the large black Mantrinesse crawled through the dust aware that cover was only a meter away only to get hit again, this time in her leg. A loud roar exited her beak making Rajah quickly drop his weapon and rush to her aid.

"C'mon!" he grumbled grabbing her arm and pulling her to the tunnel.

She pushed herself up on her single uninjured leg and rested heavily on his shoulders. With a last effort she managed to get herself into the tunnel and disappear into the darkness below. Rajah quickly grabbed the weapon he was not planning on losing a second time and followed her in; unaware of the direction the tunnel would lead him.

"_Intrusion detected in maintenance shaft forty-seven alpha, section twenty-nine b. Detected force: Eight biological entities. Goal of the entities: unknown. Calculations dictate that the unknown infiltration force might try to disable primary processing nodes and disable Machine Dominion's force in this quadrant. New targets located. Destroy targets before expected mission can be accomplished."_

"Welcome aboard Captain, looks like she took quite a beating."

Captain Pierce escorted by two of his officers personally welcomed Captain Korso and the battered crew of the _Valkyrie_ aboard his own ship. The Starfleet Captain had a serious expression on his face. The _Valkyrie_ was now safely docked inside the large hangar bay of the _Highlander_ awaiting repairs but had brought back trouble for the other ships. The Starfleet vessel and Mantrin warship had managed to defeat the incoming patrols and kept the _Valkyrie_ and the valuable information she carried from being destroyed but had taken damage themselves again.

"Thanks for the assist Captain. Another one of those hits and our bits and pieces would have been spread across the sector. I hope we didn't cause too much trouble."

"No need to worry Captain, everything here is under control. I take it that you got the information we needed?"

"Well, I've got good and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" Korso replied crossing his arms.

"Tell me the good news first."

"Well we've managed to drop off the assault team on the planet without any problems. In addition we've confirmed what most of us already anticipated. The Machines have a stable trans-dimensional gate in the area."

Pierce frowned. So far so good but it all depended on the bad news.

"And the bad news?"

"Our direct attempt to destroy the gate failed. They've got too many ships in the area and there's no way we can get through. We were already having a hard time evading their patrols with the cloak active." "Hmm" Pierce mumbled. "Your ship's sensors must have collected a lot of data. I'll give an order to the astrometrics lab that they should start on analyzing it. It may provide us with deeper insights of what those Machines are actually up to."

"My idea. Ensign?" Korso signaled Yani.

"Understood sir" the female officer replied on her way to the _Highlander_'s astrometrics lab to lay the link between both their ships.

"While your ship is being repaired, I hope you enjoy your staying here. We've prepared some quarters for you and your crew."

Jason signaled his officers to guide crew of the _Valkyrie_ to the designated quarters.

"One more thing. Remember the survivors of the Akrennian ship we picked up? Our doctors are not familiar with their physiology. I've already informed Captain Rilas about it but their doctor couldn't do much either."

"That worse huh?" Korso muttered.

"Two of them even openly resisted to being treated by a Mantrin because of the hostilities between the two species in the past but their Captain is in really bad shape and needs help."

"Gune?" Korso asked.

"Don't worry Captain, Gune is good at helping people. Gune is good doctor, yes."

When everyone got their orders the crew headed for their temporary private space aboard the _Highlander_. When Korso stepped through the door of the quarters that had been provided to him he was pleasantly surprised. It was large, comfortable and very roomy. This particular room was an officer's quarters located at the port side of the massive vessel and the windows provided a nice view of the Aridanis system, its seven planets orbiting the blue sun.

"I think I'm gonna like it here" he thought.

His own quarters aboard the _Valkyrie_ had received an overhaul as well but even after getting a little more space and a more modernized look, it still didn't compare to the larger more powerful vessels of the fleet. _"Oh well, who needs all that space?"_ He let himself fall down on the bed on his back and stared at the ceiling. Instead of dull grey metal bulkheads, even the ceiling of the room had a nicer, warmer color just like the rest. After a few minutes of unpacking and getting familiar with a different set of furniture and having a refreshing drink he decided to check up on how Gune was doing in sickbay. But before that, he was planning to let Republican command know that the mission was proceeding as planned and that they would provide them with new intel soon. They would sure love to hear some good news after what happened at Xirosa.

When Akima stepped through the sickbay's double glass sliding doors with the Starfleet Medical logo imprinted into the design she found herself standing in a brightly lighted and sterile room. Of course such a crew needed a large infirmary and health care center and that was exactly what this room represented. State of the art medical technology and the finest physicians in the Federation, that was the standard for the medical facility aboard a Federation starship. Yet the alien physiology of a race they had never encountered could cause trouble and Gune was already busy instructing people what to do. From what she could tell he was busy with neuro-imaging systems to create a holographic reconstruction of the female Akrennian's brain. Neurological damage was difficult to repair and could prove to be impossible even with today's technology but if there was one person who could do it, it was Gune. When she approached the injured Akrennian Captain, recognition flashed through her mind. _Is that Ayko?_

She had briefly met the fearsome Akrennian woman on the day that the Republic was formed but never expected to see her again. It was also an officer from _her_ ship who had nearly caused an uproar between the representatives with his accusing words but she had managed to save the situation just in the nick of time. But she had also remembered Preed sitting next to her and wearing the same military uniform during the conference. And it was Preed who was standing next to her bed. Akima was actually a bit shocked to see him like this. It was always Preed with his cool and stubborn attitude, his oily manners and annoying remarks but she had never seen him as miserable as he was looking now. His one good ear had dropped down to a low position and the doctor's had trouble keeping him away from the patient. Akima could tell that he finally found someone he loved and was near devastated that he was on the verge of losing her. She even thought she saw tears gleaming on his grey-skinned face. When he noticed her from the corner of his eye he quickly wiped them off, afraid that she might see him like this but instantly knew that he couldn't hide his feelings at the moment. His whole face radiated misery and Akima caught herself on the fact that she was actually feeling sorry for him. The creep who was planning on selling their lives to the Drej had now managed to spark her pity.

"Preed?" she asked in disbelief.

It was a while ago since she had last spoken to him, mainly because she just couldn't forgive the guy for what he had done but this situation made it just a little different. She still wasn't planning on forgiving him but the least she could do was offer him her apologies.

"Akima?" he said with a snort.

"My God, what happened?" she asked staring from Ayko, hooked up to all kinds of devices and monitors with two doctor's and Gune operating on her skull in unison to Preed who was just a big chunk of misery.

"Suicide run" Preed muttered.

"By you or?..."

"Both" he interrupted.

"We, well actually Ayko was hoping on giving us an honorable death by ramming our ship into one of the enemy. Before we could bring the ship up to ramming speed, they took out our engines and one of their attack fighters hit the bridge."

Preed shook his head, his one ear flapping around lazily.

"After that everything went dark. I woke up on top of my injured and unconscious Captain I vainly tried to protect, on a destroyed ship, with a near death crew in an atmosphere that became harder to breathe by the minute."

Preed closed his eyes and began to sob. He looked up at her with watery eyes and shaking hands.

"The air was running out and my Captain, the one that had taken me under her protection and offered me her love was dying."

He snorted.

"I passed out, holding her cold hand and after that I woke up here."

He snorted again and wiped off his nose with his right arm.

"Now I'm alive and well and she's dying. I wish I died with her aboard that ship."

While he kept whining, Akima had approached him. She lifted her bare hand and slapped him right into his face. Preed grabbed the sore spot that slowly turned red on his left cheek and kept staring down at the human woman who was smaller than him in disbelief. Akima looked back with a harsh expression on her face.

"Stop talking like that!"

Even one of the doctor's looked up about what just happened but quickly turned back to the delicate work that needed all his attention. Preed kept staring down with eyes that had grown big and with his hand still pressed against his cheek.

"But…"

"You gotta move on Preed!" Akima continued before he could react.

"You've always been depending on other people, and in the mean time plotting behind their backs! You've gotta make a living for yourself."

"If she dies…" Akima snarled pointing at Ayko.

"…you have nothing. I can't believe that I'm actually telling you how to live your life but somehow I think you need some help."

"But I don't know how!" Preed finally pushed out.

"I have never had someone who helped me to prepare for a life like this. No one ever gave a damn about me."

"Then find you own life!"

"I can't! I love her!"

"I know you love her!" Akima spat back.

"I know how it feels to love someone. To want to share everything you've got with that one special person. But she's the Captain of a warship Preed. People like that eventually _want_ to die in battle and that's what makes it so different."

While she was teaching Preed an important lesson she hadn't even seen Korso enter sickbay, until he suddenly stood next to her and Preed.

"Is everything all right between you two?" he asked.

"Captain, I was just giving a few tips about how Preed should lead his life. As an honest and hard working person and not some backstabbing rat, taking advantage of everyone around him."

"I just had contact with command" Korso switched to a different subject because he felt in which direction the conversation was going.

"The Republic nearly fell apart. Someone managed to safe the situation just in time but they want some results quickly. It seems the attacks have continued and the Republic does not have the power to prevent them from occurring. There is no logic in what the Machines are doing and we can't predict where the next attack will occur."

"Why are they always looking at us?" Akima replied a bit snappish.

"We are still busy rebuilding everything destroyed in the first attempt at our annihilation."

"We've gotta have faith in Otrin and his team. If that fails we've gotta try something else. They're already working on a backup plan but kinda hesitant to use it since it isn't the best option."

"Yeah right."

Akima turned her attention to Preed again.

"And you've gotta have a little more faith in yourself Preed. Stop looking at other people and take some initiative of your own for a change."

Preed took a deep breath and stopped staring at his feet. He looked at his former Captain and friend and asked the question he actually didn´t want to ask but he needed a backup plan too.

"Joseph, I mean Captain?" he began.

"Yes?"

"Could you, do me a favor?"

"Depends on the favor" Korso replied rather nonchalant.

"If Ayko dies, I have nothing else left. I have no life, no career, only myself to offer. Could you provide me with a recommendation for the Republican fleet?"

"Recommendation" Korso muttered pretending he was giving it a deep thought.

_Well we can go back to the point where you tried to kill me._ But that was not gonna help either of them because he too had tried to sell humanity's only means of a new homeworld to the Drej.

"Well, as a means of our former friendship, I think I can arrange something" he said.

"But don't expect too much of it" he added when he saw Preed's hopeful expression.

"I have to consult this with command first."

Korso stepped past them to take a good look at what Gune was doing. The alien was busy performing a very delicate operation to regenerate Ayko's damaged brain tissue caused by the lack of oxygen for a long time. This was a whole different kind of engineering for the little scientist but certainly not impossible. He just needed some time. After that time had passed Ayko looked exactly the same as before from the outside. While the Starfleet doctor's turned off all the no longer needed equipment Gune sterilized his hands and joined Korso, Preed and Akima who had been waiting for the results since they didn't have much else to do.

"Please tell me she's going to be all right" Preed almost begged.

"Gune cannot tell for sure Preed. She needs rest. Lots of rest" the alien tried to assure him.

Preed however wasn't going to be assured until he would hear her yelling orders at him and her crew. He rushed from his chair out of the corner of sickbay where they had been waiting and sat down on a chair next to Ayko's bed. He just kept sitting there, motionless, waiting for her to open her eyes again. Most of the beds were empty except for a few Akrennians still recovering from more severe injuries.

"How many more casualties?" Akima asked herself out loud.

"I hope these are the last ones" Korso replied reminding her of the people still in immediate danger.

He knew Akima was worried about Stith, her best friend who was down there on that planet and also about Kero and Rajah, the Mantrin Princes she had got to know in the past few weeks. Actually she was worried about all eleven warriors down there and that was not entirely unjust.

The only thing Rajah could see were the flashes of lights and the exits of other tunnels connected to this one when he slit down the tunnel connected to the vent. The walls were slippery so slowing himself down was practically impossible. With his stomach stuck in his throat he noticed how the steep tunnel eventually became less steep. With both his clawed and gloved hands clamping his gun he pressed his three-toed feet against the metal walls with the massive force of his triple-jointed legs behind it in a last attempt to slow himself down. The horrible screeching sound his sharp toenails in contact with the metal made would have caused him to press his hands against his ears if he hadn't been holding his weapon. Biting his teeth against the sound and clamping the gun so firmly that his knuckles turned white he waited for the bang. Rajah could feel how his body became weightless for a fraction of a second before he landed on a hard metal surface. It actually pretty hurt and he let out a groan and a growl of frustration.

When he opened his eyes the members of the team that was now his were trying to help out the wounded Azkun while two of them stood watch near the exit of the dimly lit tunnel, nervously lashing their tails. This was probably some kind of maintenance conduit and because of his species sheer size the Mantrins had to crouch low in this strange environment. Stith approached him while his brother helped Nunchaku to get Azkun some much needed medical attention. Each one of them carried some basic medical supplies with them for healing small wounds and other injures but nothing major. Azkun was lying on her wounded back with the back of her head of Nunchaku's chest while Kero and an EAF soldier treated her wounds to the best of their abilities and with the limited resources available. The raw burned and bleeding flesh could be seen right through the armor plating protecting her chest and back and additional markings covered the even black skin of her leg. The female Ryrjhii was strong but she was growling in pain while the others took care of her. Nunchaku was having difficulty with his emotions and was holding her in his strong muscular arms while his friend was fighting against the pain.

"It's not looking good" Stith informed Rajah while he scrambled to his feet.

"I doubt that she will be able to fight with us to the end. Damn it! Most of the time I'm shooting holes _in_to people."

Rajah cursed and grabbed his own shoulder which was still bleeding from the attack by the spinner drone. He was angry and exhausted and would keep fighting as long as he was still breathing.

"You're still bleeding, we've gotta do something about it" Stith studying the cuts on his left shoulder and leg.

"It will heal" he grumbled getting ready to continue the fight again.

The small tissue regenerators were good for healing the grazed skin from sliding down the tunnel and some of the cuts and bruises taken from the fight but it was not effective enough for Azkun's wounds. Stith had one of the regenerators in her hand and wanted to use it to treat the wound on his shoulder.

"I said it will heal" he replied in a harsh way and pulling his shoulder out of her reach.

"Sorry" he apologized upon seeing her indignant expression.

"Don't waste resources on the people who don't really need it. Use it to help Azkun, I'll manage."

Stith shook her head.

"I can definitely tell you and Kero are brothers. You're just as stubborn as he is."

Rajah smiled weakly.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Stith did as he said and used the medical device on Azkun's wounds while he checked if his equipment still worked. Fortunately the delicate eyepiece was still intact and the current powerpack of his weapon had sufficient juice. It would depend on Azkun if they would continue as a team of eight or seven.

A couple of moments later they had finished treating Azkun's wounds as good as possible. The black-skinned female Ryrjhii was standing on her legs again but was obviously still in pain. Most of the contents of her backpack were useless since a couple of plasma bolts had penetrated the outer layer of armor and damaged the contents. She was very fortunate to wear the thing since it had protected her from a certain dead but was extremely lucky that the powerpacks for her gun hadn't been hit. Otherwise the resulting explosion would have killed her instantly. She slit a new one into her weapon while some of the other soldiers loaded the still functioning equipment into their backpacks. Even if the backpack hadn't been damaged Rajah asked himself if she would be able to carry the heavy load on her injured back so they left it into the tunnel together with some other broken equipment. Now that Stith and Kero had finished treating Azkun they finally started paying attention to their environment. The dimly red-colored lit tunnels which were likely used for maintenance were too low for a Mantrin to walk upright but their width was surprising. Two Mantrins could stand next to each other with enough room to spare to move their legs and walk. If their eyes wouldn't have been capable of seeing in such a poorly lit environment they would have to rely on sensors but the red lighting was sufficient to actually see their surroundings. The metal walls purely made for Machine-based lifeforms or drones to move through were patterned by all kinds of conduits, wires and other stuff they didn't know what purpose it served. Soft whirring sounds could be heard everywhere and every Mantrin constantly pricked their ears to differentiate all the different sounds from each other. A slightly higher ticking could make the difference a whirring piece of machinery integrated into the huge network of activity around them and an approaching enemy. But the thing that worried Stith the most were the diaphragm hatches integrated into the ceiling with regular distances in between them. The strangest thing was that they hadn't seen a single enemy since they had entered the complex.

"This is a trap" she thought using the scanner in her eyepiece to take a good look at the mechanism.

She was walking next to Kero, behind Nunchaku who was supporting Azkun who pushed the soft-natured giant away in order not to show weakness. Weakness means death and she was planning on finishing this on her own strength.

"I don't thrust those things" she softly said nodding towards the ceiling when they passed another hatch.

"They can drop right on our heads without warning."

Kero himself had found something disturbing too. At some points there were slits into the walls, floor and ceiling with small red detector lights integrated in them.

"Could very well be blastdoors to seal intruders like us in" he speculated.

"We haven't seen any of them yet but I'm certain that they know exactly where we are. We need to get out of these maintenance tunnels and fast."

Stith reported her findings to Rajah who agreed. The group sped up their pace until they reached a T-junction with the left corridor leading up with a gentle slope. Just as the last Mantrin turned around the corner to head up, a blast door in the direction they came from closed shut with a loud bang.

"That can't be good" one of the soldiers mumbled.

It urged Rajah to hurry even more. They followed the long sloping corridor with others attached to until their path was suddenly blocked by a small four-legged spider-like machine. It was the same device as the ones crawling over the wall outside. A small metallic sphere with four long flexible legs extending from it. A tiny red scanning light was build into this sphere and a small muzzle pointed in the same direction as the scanner. The device was slowly and carefully approaching the Mantrins scanning them with its red beam of light, the tiny metal claws attached to the long legs ticking on the floor. For a second it looked like it was going to walk away but one of the soldiers grabbed his gun, aimed for the Machine and pulled the trigger. The shot penetrated the body destroying the entire mechanism. The small Machine collapsed to the floor on the wobbly legs with smoke coming from the hole. The red light in the front died out and for a moment it was completely silent.

"Somehow, I think you shouldn't have done that" Rajah muttered under his breath.

As if the AI itself could hear him, which wasn't as unlikely as it sounded, the ticking of claws on metal identical as the sound this spider made entered his ears, only this time a hundred-fold.

"We've gotta run. Now!"

As fast as their legs could carry them the soldiers followed their team leader. When Stith shot a glance in the tunnel where the spider came from when she passed by she saw a couple dozen of the devices crawling over the floor, walls and ceiling. An entire army of the mechanical spiders was coming in from behind them and the things were surprisingly fast. Just in time she realized she still had a belt around her waist full of grenades. Because of the risk of injury by her own weapon if she used a regular photon grenade she unclipped an EMP grenade from the belt.

"Eat this!" she yelled tossing the device with a three second delay into the midst of the army of metal spiders.

Staying with the rest of the group, the edges of her beak curved into a satisfied smile when the crackling sound of fried electrical equipment reached her ears.

"Good thinking" one of the EAF soldiers complemented.

After rushing through the tunnels, trying to stay ahead of their enemies and evading tunnels were more sinister and deadly devices came from, the assault group eventually reached a huge circular hall in the middle of the maze with a ceiling so high that all they could see when they looked up was darkness. Their tunnel was one of many that exited into this room with in the center a massive computer core reaching up to the ceiling spreading its white pulsating light through the entire chamber. It was quite the sight to see if not for the fact that this room would soon be flooded with machines trying to kill them. As soon as the group was fully inside partially overwhelmed by the sheer size of both the pulsating core and its surroundings all tunnel exits leading to the room were closed off by blastdoors with a couple of loud bangs. They were sealed in.

"_Intrusion detected in secondary processing node Gamma. Emergency lockdown complete. Calculations dictate there is a ninety-six point seven percent chance that infiltration force of biological entities is trying to shut down all systems. Deploying countermeasures. Primary intrusion prevention systems active. Temporary separation of secondary processing node Gamma from primary systems complete. Elimination of targets in process." _

When Captain Jason Pierce entered the main astrometrics lab aboard the USS _Highlander_ the team he had put on the job of retrieving and reconstructing sensor data gathered by the _Valkyrie_ was almost finished. He hoped they had found some weak spots in their defensive network or some other weaknesses they could exploit because the latest reports coming in from the Alpha Quadrant on the other side of the gate were not particularly good.

"Anything interesting?" he asked rather straight to the point.

"We're still analyzing some of the data Captain but it already looks like we've found some disturbing facts" one of the science officers working together with Ensign Cho from the Republican ship informed.

Her view was fixed on the viewscreens and consoles in front of her to be absolutely sure of the situations before she would bring out report. The _Valkyrie_ had gathered a lot of data using her upgraded scanners but some of it was damaged during the attack on her way out of the system and reconstructing it in the right way took some time.

"Like what?" Jason asked the Lieutenant wearing the teal-colored uniform.

The team including Cho gathered around the Captain and showed him the results.

"One of the things we managed to find out is that the trans-dimensional gate of theirs isn't connected to the AI. It seems that this is the only structure in our universe not connected to the AI on Aridanis IV."

"Meaning?"

"In order to completely eliminate them from this universe we have to take out the AI as well as the gate otherwise they will use it to bring in more reinforcements and possibly another controlling entity to reactivate their forces."

"All right" Pierce thought.

As soon as everything in the system dropped dead, they knew Otrin and his team were successful. After that they just needed to fire everything they'd got into the gate structure to collapse that passageway for the Machines into this universe.

"What else did you find?"

"This is something we're not exactly sure off. It was barely picked up by the _Valkyrie_'s scanners but since we've rerouted all of the ship's sensors to astrometrics we've been able to enhance the image and refresh it with the latest data gathered by our own sensors. We've detected a massive space born structure on the far side of the planet. We don't know what it is neither do we know its purpose but we can be sure that it's not meant to make our lives more pleasurable."

"It's not a serious threat yet" Pierce replied thinking about what to do next.

"I want you to keep monitoring activity in that system and I want you to inform me immediately if there's any significant change."

"Aye Captain."

With this new intel swirling around in the back of his mind Pierce left astrometrics. He decided to take a look in sickbay if the doctor's had made any significant progress in repairing the damage done to the alien Captain's mind. He hoped that the odd little green scientist from Korso's ship could make a difference. 'Gune', he was called Jason remembered the alien's name on his way to sickbay. The thing he noticed about this other universe was that it contained far less humanoid species then his own. "Interesting how two versions of the Galaxy around the same planet Earth could be so entirely different." But a parallel universe could mean an entirely different setting, even an entirely different set of the laws of physics. Lucky for him, the laws of physics in this universe operated in the same way as in his, otherwise the _Highlander_ would be just a collection of failing systems only held together by their own chaos.

When he entered the medical facility of his ship he found Captain Korso and his elegant but tough female pilot Akima sitting in one of the corners. The Akrennian Captain he knew as Ayko was still in a state of unconsciousness but had been transferred to a place where she could rest. The Akrennian officer he once knew as Korso´s First Mate Preed was sitting beside her bed, hoping that she would be able to look him in the eyes soon.

"I hope I'm not disturbing something?" Jason asked tactfully when he interrupted the chatter between Korso and Akima.

"Not at all Captain" Akima greeted him in a friendly manor.

Jason smiled weakly but turned serious as soon as he got their attention.

"I just informed Admiral Cunnington of our progress. I got more disturbing news. An all out war broke out between the Machines and the Alpha Quadrant. Apparently their presence in my universe is even bigger than we originally thought. The Federation is a well-organized force but even we don't have the amount of ships and men to defend all our colonies. Countless lives have been lost and the fleet is taking losses each day. If things continue the way they are now, I might be forced by Starfleet Command to return to the Alpha Quadrant. In fact the Federation presence in your universe will be diminished to a minimum until the situation is resolved."

Korso and Akima were both overwhelmed by his words. They had accomplished so much together with Starfleet and the Federation in a relatively short amount of time. It was nearly coming to the point that the Federation was becoming a common force in this quadrant. If you ran into trouble, a Starfleet vessel was always nearby to help you out. But if Starfleet pulled its ships out of the region the Republic would lose a significant part of its defensive force.

"You cannot be serious" Akima whispered.

"I'm afraid I am. I'll try to stay as long as I'm able to but I can't promise anything."

Jason sighed.

"When I first heard about this phenomenon and the endless possibilities open for us to explore other universes and make contact with new species I never even considered war. I never thought something like this would be possible. We are fighting an inter universal war here."

"Yeah, if you consider the scale on which this conflict is fought out" Korso added.

When humanity finally got its new home he thought it was over. The elimination of the Drej threat would mean a new era without fear for both humans and other species.

"Ayko! Ayko say something!"

Preed's sudden outburst startled the three of them. Akima and Korso rushed from the chairs and joined Preed around Ayko's bed. The tall brown-skinned Akrennian female had finally opened her gleaming orange eyes and stared into an alien environment. Dizzy and disoriented as she was she groaned and squeezed her eyes shut against the sudden light. Although the lighting in the corner where she laid was dimmed she still felt like she was using her eyes for the first time.

"Ayko!"

Preed had gone wild from happiness and the tears were actually rolling down his cheeks when she started to yell at him again.

"Preed! What the hell is going on?! Where's the enemy?! Are they dead?!"

A Starfleet medical officer quickly joined them at the bed to calm the alien woman down before all this uproar caused her to hyperventilate.

"Can I talk to her?" Pierce informed his doctor before starting to ask the recovering alien tons of questions she wouldn't be able to answer in the first place.

"Try to keep it short sir, she's just undergone major neural reconstruction and not everything she says might make sense but if it's urgent…"

"Thank you."

While Akima tried to calm down Preed a bit and explained that all his yelling would only be bad for her Jason tried to reason with Ayko. The poor woman was still under a lot of drugs to suppress the pain and other side effects the surgery might have but was at least able to talk to Jason.

"Ayko is your name isn't it?"

"Trsh'ka clan" she grumbled back.

"My name is Captain Jason Pierce. We've briefly met at the end of the conference on New Earth. You're aboard my ship. You're safe now."

He paused, giving Ayko's recovering brain time to process all the details.

"You're one of the Starfleet humans right?" she replied after some time with a groan.

"That's right."

"What about my ship and crew?"

Jason knew this question would come after some time. Finding out that your ship was destroyed and most of your crew died was a Captain's worst nightmare. He wondered if he should have his doctor prepare a sedative in case she couldn't handle the answer. An answer she had the right to know.

"I'm terribly sorry. We've salvaged what was left of your ship. There are eighteen healthy crewmembers onboard, that includes you."

Ayko's eyes suddenly narrowed to slits. She stared at Jason like if she wanted to ask how he dared to speak the words.

"There were ninety-three officers stationed aboard _my_ ship" she spat between clenched teeth.

Jason knew her anger wasn't directed at him but since he was the one who answered the question, he was the one how partially got to feel her rage.

"If it were the last thing I ever do I swear to the blood of my clan and the Gods of Akrennia I will kill every single one of those Machines with my own bare hands if I have to."

She got up from her lying position and looked at each one of the attendants to see if someone questioned her ability to carry out her statement.

"Do you understand what I'm saying human?!" she seethed.

"I'll have my revenge!"

Ayko's hands with the long slender fingers were balled to shaking fists and her ears flattened on her head in anger. She looked like she was going to challenge her enemies here and now. But before she could say more she was embraced by an over happy Preed. Akima wasn't able to withhold him from doing what he did now. Ayko's anger disappeared slowly the longer she was lying in Preed's arms.

"I thought I'd lost you" he whispered.

"You don't think I would die a dishonorable death?" Ayko replied remaining fierce like always.

It almost looked like she didn't care for the fact that people were glad she was still among the living. She even kept her cool attitude after a near death experience.

"Can you tell me a little more about what happened? I could have talked to your crew too but I wanted to hear your opinion first" Jason continued.

As gently as she could she pushed Preed away and started to tell her part of the whole story.

"What do you want to know? There were hundreds of them, thousands. At first the battle fared well. We'd already taken out a major part of their first wave until the reinforcements started pouring in and began their suicidal runs. They just lost a couple of drones, we lost entire warships."

The images of Akrennian vessels with ruptured hulls venting atmosphere and crewmembers into space were burned forever into her mind. The thought alone sparked her anger again but she managed to control it this time.

"I cannot understand how Military Command could give that order. It was suicide but orders are orders and we don't question them."

She sighed.

"You Starfleet people fought well. As well as yours" she added with a nod towards Korso and Akima.

"But it was a stupid undertaking. No one needed to die that way. We can have our revenge when the time is right."

She let herself fall back on the pillow, not being able to fight the regular sleep anymore that hit her like that attack fighter hit the _Tsun'rhaa_.

"I'd be happy to clear out more of the details but first I need some rest. I'm just feeling too…"

The rest of the sentence ended in a loud yawn revealing her sharp glistening fangs.

"We should leave her alone for now" Akima suggested setting the example by walking away from her bed.

The doctor dimmed the lighting again and even Preed managed to let go of her for a while. He followed Akima and Korso to the section of the Starfleet vessel where crew quarters had been made available to both their crews. The thing that still wandered around in his mind was Kryfar. Even he made it out alive and was probably not too happy about that fact that Ayko and especially Preed did too. After all, Kryfar knew that Preed was one of the selected few that could tell on what he was planning to do with Ayko while she was unconscious. And that could cause him not only his social status but knowing his Captain also his life.

"They've sealed us in!" Stith yelled in agitation when the doors slammed shut.

"That's worse for them" Rajah replied an evil grin spreading across his face.

The black-skinned Goureg Prince was studying the huge pulsating core in the middle of the room, looking for a weak spot which he could exploit.

"I'm planning on taking down this thing. We're tearing that monster down bit by bit."

Rajah aimed his rifle at the core and pulled the trigger. Two blue plasma pulses left his weapon on route for the white glowing column. The volatile energy was harmlessly deflected by crackling force fields. Rajah wasn't surprised. Leaving such an important processing node vulnerable wasn't their style.

"Could have known that" he mumbled.

Kero however tried a different approach. He walked to the base of the column, looking for a data port, the data module already in his clawed hand. He was going straight for his goal, an access port in the base of the tower. Since Machines had no need for consoles or other obscure input devices they used direct access. Mostly, commands were transferred using a high-powered carrier wave that could travel for several lightyears but these data ports were only used for ultra-highspeed access, maintenance and the programming of new drones in the production facilities. Kero already had is hand stretched out, ready to end this once and for all. But only a couple of centimeters from the port his arm was held back. When he looked up to see who owned the hand touching his arm he looked into the copper-colored eyes of Stith who was shaking her head.

"We can't take the risk Kero. I know you wanna end this. We all want that but my sensors show this is only a secondary processing node."

"But why take all the risks of getting to the primary one while we can take down the entire system from here?"

"They haven't sealed us in without reason. If we infect this secondary node, the AI will just disconnect it from the primary system and have time to study the virus and come up with an anti-virus."

Kero turned his eyes down and dropped the outstretched arm.

"You're right, it was stupid just to act on instincts."

"We only get one shot at this."

Stith paused and pricked her ears.

"Do you hear a hissing sound?" she asked.

The other Mantrins pricked their ears too.

"That sounds an awful lot like…" one of them began.

"They're draining the atmosphere!" another one finished his sentence with an undertone of panic in his voice.

"Gotta shut it down!" Rajah shouted making a leap for the base of the computer core where the only interface was located.

The air was already becoming thinner and harder to breathe. Except for the data port, the entire base of the tower was covered by thick metal plating covering the internals and protecting them from harm. When Rajah tried to pull out one of the metal plates, he got hit by an energy surge. With a yell he was pounced back by a crackling burst of energy sending him to the ground. He landed on his back with a growl and let out a curse in his own language.

"Commander!" one of the EAF soldiers yelled helping him to get back on his feet.

All Mantrins started to pant and feel lightheaded because of the lack of oxygen. In pure frustration Rajah grabbed his gun, aimed for the metal plating and opened fire. With the weapon on full power and his eyepiece registrating direct hits, the plate didn't even dent. Even when some of the other Mantrins followed his example and targeted the same piece of plating it had no effect. Stith tried it with her high-yield pair of blasters but even her favorite weapons let her down this time.

"That metal is absorbing the energy of our shots!" Azkun roared making them stop.

It was the first time the female Ryrjhii had said something since they entered the complex and it took a few seconds for the others to realize she was right.

"We gotta do something fast or we'll run the risk of becoming the first mind-controlled Machine/Organic hybrids!" Stith panted.

She was beginning to feel weaker now and the lack of oxygen was draining all the strength from her muscles. The backpack suddenly felt abnormally heavy and she was barely able to hold the gun in her hands. She rested the weapon on the ground and closed her eyes against the sudden dizziness. Nunchaku felt it too and with his massive strength slipping away the huge Ryrjhii decided to make one last good use of it. He took a run-up and threw his massive shoulder against the metal. The powerful protective energy barrier covering the metal reacted immediately sending crackling and paralyzing waves through his body. The pain was overwhelming and his load roar bellowed through the room when his body disconnected from the metal barrier. The large Mantrin wobbled on his legs and crashed to the floor, his paralyzed muscles unable to support his weight. He howled in unbearable pain, smoke coming off his burned skin. Azkun quickly took care of him as well as she could. The plate of metal was dent and twisted into the frame it was held by and a small opening was created along one of the edges revealing part of the internals of the tower.

"Just in the nick of time" Rajah brought out weakly while he stumbled to the base of the core.

He unclipped an EMP grenade, set the delay on three seconds and tossed it through the opening between the two plates, careful not to touch them with his hands. Rajah stepped back when the energy field reacted. The crackling energy however only caused the grenade to release its own destructive energy on contact. A bright flash followed by blue crackling energy spread over the outside of the tower, destroying and completely frying every piece of technology in its path. The massive surge shot up straight into the sky guided by the core which started to flicker and eventually died out with an explosion on the top. The surge was stopped by circuit breakers but this core was certainly history. Dim emergency lighting activated itself along the walls surrounding the tower. They had stopped the draining of the atmosphere but the air didn't refresh itself on its own.

"Which way?" Rajah asked still panting while helping Nunchaku back on his feet.

Azkun was using the last emergency medical supplies to ease his pain and heal the burned skin but there was not much else for him she could do. His cramped muscles slowed him down considerably but he was not planning on staying behind. He showed them he would fight till his last breath by grabbing his gun, biting his teeth and following his Commander to their new destination.

"If we follow that way, we should reach the primary processing node in about six hundred meters" Stith replied pointing in the direction of one of the closed blastdoors leading to this room.

"Let's finish this" Rajah panted the evil grin still playing on his lips.

This time he unclipped a photon grenade which he tossed in front of the metal door. The loud explosion was followed by a secondary smaller one caused by the air suddenly flowing in with great force. The force of the explosion had created an opening large enough for them to get through. Rajah entered up front, angered by the pain and frustration he was planning to destroy everything in his path. But after the last of the Mantrins entered the corridor the other still functioning doors somehow received power again and retracted into the ceiling. It didn't take long for them to find out what the meaning of this was. When they rushed through the corridor, the ticking of legs on the metal floor and the clangs of extending metal blades followed them, each individual sound promising death to everything that didn't belong here.


	41. Chapter 39 The Face of the Enemy

**The Face of the Enemy**

Klegg was looking out of the window of the USS _Highlander_, staring into the cosmic soup of stars surrounding the nearby Aridanis system. He could vaguely see the reflection of his own face in the transparent plate separating his fragile body from the darkness and cold of space. The thoughts currently occupying his mind were those of his former life on Akrennia. About why he entered the military and what would have happened if he didn't. He had never asked for something special. He was the ordinary type, the only feature distinguishing him a bit from other Akrennians were his racial features. His brown-reddish skin which was rather uncommon for any race of Akrennian and the double horn on the tip of his snout but furthermore pretty much a standard guy if it wasn't for the fact that he could say for certain that his youth had been the most terrible period of his life. And his life was only just beginning. His father was a cruel person, always looking for reasons to beat him and his mother up. He had been his mother's only child and considering the kind of father he had that was a good thing. The anger boiled up in his chest when he thought about one of those moments in particular.

It was late in the evening when his father came home, the stench of sweat, smoke and alcohol hanging around him like a smelly aura. Getting drunk in one of the many pubs in the city where they lived was one of his favorite things if he wasn't at work or beating up him and his mother. Klegg's mother was a hard worker, going to work early and getting home late in the evening to make a living for their small family. Klegg knew his father didn't have the slightest respect for her and even suspected him of regularly spending time with the whores on his almost daily pub-crawling. Anyway, after he came home, drunk of course he started with the common ritual of putting his fists at work. The horrible images were burned forever in his mind.

The blood flowing from his mother's nose and mouth when his fists started to hammer her face, her yelling and the pain he felt when he had to watch it. And of course his own pain when he received the same treatment. The reason why she never took her son and left him was simple. She was afraid of him. Afraid that he would come after her. He had sworn that if she ever decided on leaving him or telling someone about it that he would come after her. And that he would kill her after he had let her watch how he murdered her son. But this evening had been the worst ever. Klegg's mother was lying motionless on the floor of the living room, bruises covering every inch of her broken body, blood flowing from her nose, mouth and several wounds. Klegg had been hiding in the kitchen, afraid that he would lose his mother, tears rolling down his cheeks in fear.

"Come here!" he father roared throwing something fragile against the wall in anger, fragments flying in all directions.

This time it was all too much. Klegg had been seventeen Akrennian years old and it had been enough. He was not going to let his poor mother suffer anymore because that _animal_ needed something to release his aggression at. In blind anger he grabbed a large knife from the cabinet and prepared himself to face his father and end this once and for all. He stepped into the living room where his mother was still lying unconscious on the floor and his father was still yelling for no reason because he was heavy under the influence of alcohol. With his hand firmly around the hilt of the knife he approached his father who finally noticed him.

"There you are! You listen to me when I tell you to come here! Or I'll show you what pain is. Pain like you've never felt before!"

Klegg didn't even hear the following threats. His heart was pounding in his ears and the tears were still flowing over his cheeks. It took a while before the drugged mind of the insane Akrennian he called his father stopped his mouth from moving and he noticed the knife in his right hand. The expression on his face changed from anger into confusion and slowly something that had to resemble understanding.

"You're going to kill me?"

He asked the question like he was unable to understand how and why his son would do such a thing. It made Klegg even angrier.

"You have molested her long enough" he said with a shaky voice trying to hold his ground.

"You wouldn't dare" his father replied his voice quieting to a whisper.

He spat on the floor in anger and gave him the filthiest look he was capable of.

"Watch me" Klegg replied not giving in to his intimidation.

His father got caught by another fit of anger.

"You ungrateful piece of filth!" he shouted spittle flying from his beak.

"I've taken care of you two for all these years and what do I get in return?! Nothing! You don't even deserve to breathe! I'm going to rip your heart out of your chest!"

Drunken and blinded as he was he rushed at Klegg who with his sober mind was easily capable of evading him. His father stopped just before he hit the wall and tried it again, this time stretching out his arms and taking down his son with him to the ground. Klegg held on to the knife when his father started to let his fists rain down on his face in uncontrollable rage. Determined that he did the right thing Klegg grabbed the knife with both hands and rammed into his father's stomach. The other Akrennian's mouth dropped open, unable to comprehend what just happened. He looked down to his stomach where blood gulfed out of the deep wound and covered his own son. He started to fall back, his hands now clamping the knife stuck in his belly. Without being able to bring out another word he crashed to the floor being pushed away by his own son who jumped up to help his mother. The Akrennian woman was still lying motionless on the floor and because he didn't exactly know what to do he called for an ambulance. Before the emergency services arrived Klegg's mother regained consciousness in her own son's arms.

"Mother. Oh mother, I'm so sorry" Klegg cried.

"I killed him. I got so mad when he was beating you that…"

His mother interrupted him with a few comforting words. In order to protect her son, she would tell that it was an accident and that she was the one indirectly responsible for his father's death. Because there was no one to take care of him and he still wasn't old enough to take care of himself, Klegg lived with distant family for a short period after which he joined the military. His mother received four years of prison but only after three months she was found dead in her cell. Just died of loneliness they told him. He had never seen her again since that horrible evening that he lost everything he actually cared for. The _Tsun'rhaa_ was the first thing he really called home and now that it was gone he had lost the only thing that was most important to him again. Klegg sighed, watching how his breath condensed on the window. It was never easy, had never been easy. Ayko had been a tough teacher but she knew how to make a comfortable living for herself and he was slowly beginning to think of her as the mother he lost. He had learned enough from her ways to make sure he would be commanding a ship of his own one day.

Klegg's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of the automatic door opening and closing. He had killed the lights so his eyes couldn't directly determine who just entered his temporary quarters.

"Who's there?" he asked.

No reaction and no sounds were made. As a bridge officer he had gotten a roomy officers quarters for himself and he walked over to the living room to see who this uninvited guest was. He wasn't expecting anyone so he was a bit cautious.

"Computer lights" he said.

When the lighting in the room reached an adequate level he looked right into the evil smirking face of Kryfar, only about half a meter from his own face. Too late he detected the shiny blade of the knife in Kryfar's right hand.

"You" Klegg brought out in astonishment.

"Me" Kryfar repeated with an evil laugh.

A hot burning pain shot through his stomach. When Klegg turned his eyes down he could already see his own blood spilling over the floor, Kryfar's hand still holding the weapon. Klegg grabbed the knife with his powerless hands and looked up, blood trickling from the side of his beak and groaned. The expression on Kryfar's face remained almost the same, a slight sparkle of insanity getting through. He pulled the decorated knife up and ripped open Klegg's belly. With a gargling sound he collapsed to the floor when Kryfar slipped the knife out of his body. In the last moment before he died, Klegg watched how his life flashed by. The last time with his mother, his first day aboard the _Tsun'rhaa_. That were his only more or less good memories.

"How ironic, that I'm dying the same way as my father did" he thought when everything in front of his eyes turned black.

_I'm coming mother._

Preed walked down the corridor leading to the officers quarters aboard the USS _Highlander._ He had been aboard the Starfleet vessel before and had seen only a tiny fraction of the inside of the ship but was still impressed by its immense size. The humans and aliens living together as a big family in thousands of tons of moving metal led comfortable lives for sure. Their technology was superior in many ways to that of his species and made him realize that they still had a lot to learn about space travel. Captain Pierce had authorized Ayko's crew to link their wristcom.'s with the internal com. systems of the _Highlander_ so that they could communicate and find each other. In this way security was also able to keep track of their movements within the ship. Certain areas were restricted for Starfleet personnel only but furthermore they were free to move around the ship just like the crew. He just came back from the mess hall where with the help from a few officers from the _Tsun'rhaa_ a couple of Starfleet officers had modified the replicators to recreate even a few popular Akrennian dishes.

"They certainly didn't do a bad job" he thought.

It tasted almost exactly the same as on the homeworld, although not as good as in the finest of Akrennian restaurants. He had been eating together with Trynan and Iyu who had become more like friends to him and finally he had the feeling that he was really part of Ayko's crew. He was surprised not to find Klegg among the other crewmembers and decided to drop by his quarters to thank him for his actions aboard the _Tsun'rhaa_. He had been a great help and they certainly thanked part of their rescue to him by taking over from Iyu when she collapsed.

Preed held still in front of the automatic door closing off Klegg's quarters, respecting Klegg's privacy by calling first. A gentle 'ping' sound had to warn the other Akrennian that a guest wanted to enter his room. When he didn't get a response Preed tried again.

"Klegg! Please let me in! I wanted to thank you for what you did."

Preed had clearly raised his voice and became a little worried when he didn't get a single reply. If he wanted him to go away he would have told him right away.

"All right, I'm coming in."

Preed tapped the open button on the small panel next to the door and expected to see Klegg's angry face for violating his privacy but the following scene shocked him. Klegg's motionless body was lying in the middle of the room in a pool of his own blood. A deep wound obviously caused by a knife was running vertically over his belly. Reacting fast, Preed immediately activated his wristcom. to call for help.

"Preed to sickbay, medical emergency in officers quarters B-14."

Preed sunk on his knees next to Klegg's body and checked his pulse. Nothing. Klegg wasn't breathing and his eyes were glassy. He was already dead and no one knew for how long. Preed's brain began working at top speed. _Why Klegg? In which way could he be of trouble to anyone?_ Preed could be almost certain that it wasn't someone from the _Highlander_. These Starfleet people were peace loving scientists crazy for exploration and making contact with new species. It had to be someone from the _Tsun'rhaa_. Preed mouth dropped open when he came to the right conclusion. He closed Klegg's eyes and whispered something in his own language.

"By the Gods of Akrennia and the blood of my future clan. You shall be revenged."

Before Starfleet personnel arrived to investigate the murder Preed was already gone. He had left his wristcom. in Klegg's quarters because no one must be able to stop him on what he was going to do now.

"I'm coming for you Kryfar. This time my knife will taste your blood."

"Computer locate Commander Kryfar."

"Commander Kryfar is in his quarters."

Fortunately for him the crew of the _Tsun'rhaa_ all got quarters close to each other so he only had to walk a couple of meters before reaching Kryfar's. He pulled his knife out of the sheath and weighed the decorated weapon in his hand. He slammed his hand on the panel next to the door and rushed into Kryfar's quarters ready to kill but only to find Kryfar's wristcom. on the small table in the living room.

"So you're not as stupid as I thought" Preed mumbled.

He gasped for air when his stomach suddenly shot up in his throat. _Ayko! He couldn't kill the rest of us because we were in the mess hall so now he's going directly after Ayko herself!_ As fast as his legs could carry him, Preed rushed out of the quarters and dashed into the corridor of the _Highlander_ on his way to sickbay. He had put his weapon back into the sheath to avoid drawing unwanted attention.

"Out of my way!" he yelled running through the corridor and evading Starfleet crewmembers that hastily jumped aside when he ran past, staring after him with frightened faces.

Trying to remember the layout of the vessel he rushed into a nearby turbolift and found himself standing near a young human female. Preed was already panting and this made him regret that he was so badly out of condition.

"Have to keep training those muscles" he thought.

His species had a slender build but that didn't mean they couldn't be strong and tough. They had long and flexible arms and legs that were stronger then they looked. The Starfleet Ensign with the gold uniform was looking at him with confusion on her face. He even noticed that her face twisted briefly when her nose picked up the smell currently hanging around him. He had been watching over Ayko all the time since they got here and after she had finally regained consciousness he had gone straight to the mess hall to fill his empty stomach. He had eaten for three when he got there and spend quite some time chatting with Iyu and Trynan. He didn't like to bathe but was planning it after he came back from the mess hall and dropped by Klegg. Unfortunately Klegg's death and the fear that Ayko awaited the same faith he now came rushing to her aid and finish off her treacherous First Officer before he finished her off.

"Sickbay" he brought out between two breaths.

As the turbolift descended the human woman couldn't resist asking a question about his strange behavior. "Is everything all right?" she asked with a slight hesitation in her voice. Preed flattened his only good ear and looked back when he mentally cursed the turbolift that it didn't go faster.

"Yeah, just need, to get, to sickbay" he said resting against the wall.

The turbolift had almost reached his desired level when a voice sounded over the intercom. system.

"Captain Pierce to security. We have a breach, keep your eyes out for anything suspicious, we have a murderer on the run."

The human woman turned her head towards him when she heard her Captain's voice. Her eyes went from the sheath with the knife, to his wrist that was missing its comlink they had to wear as a security measure and to his face. Within a second she made the link between her Captain's message and Preed's suspicious behavior and jumped to the wrong conclusion. As a member of the _Highlander_'s security force she grabbed her phaser pistol on stun setting and aimed at Preed who stared back with astonishment and fear in his eyes.

"Sir, I'm afraid I have to put you under arrest. Put your hands where I can see them and don't dare to touch that knife because I won't hesitate to shoot."

Preed stared back into the small muzzle of the phaser. He couldn't believe that this was happening. Obviously because he was running, not wearing his wristcom. and wearing a weapon she though he was the murderer they were searching for.

"You don't understand. I'm after the murderer. He's heading for sickbay to kill another one."

"Yes I can see that. Fortunately I can report that we got him, now put your hands in the air and walk with me please. Computer halt turbolift. Brig."

The computer halted and descended further towards the brig with a beep of confirmation. The Ensign pressed her combadge.

"Ensign Davids to security, I have the murderer in tow, it's one of the Akrennians. I'm taking him to…"

The unfortunate woman didn't expect Preed to react so fast. Preed hit the side of her arm causing her to fire her phaser at the wall of the turbolift leaving a black scorch. The trained woman reacted quickly by kicking him into his stomach with her knee. He doubled over clamping his stomach in pain but before she could aim her phaser again and shoot him to the dream world he knocked her head hard against the wall of the turbolift. He gently caught her collapsing body before she hit the ground, placed her on the floor and quickly made the turbolift reverse direction.

"I'm sorry but you don't know how mistaken you are" he said softly feeling remorse that he had to knock her down.

He felt precious time slipping away and hoped that Kryfar was somehow delayed. Now he couldn't even call security to stop Kryfar from getting there because all their attention was now focused on him.

Kryfar was walking to sickbay on a calmly pace ready to carry out what he should have done a long time ago. Now that the security forces of the _Highlander_ had marked someone else as the subject he could easily get to sickbay without raising suspicion. Kryfar let out a laugh in his mind.

"I hope that it's that fool Preed they caught. That he would receive punishment for the crime he committed" he thought without being able to prevent the evil smirk from appearing on his face.

He couldn't believe the problems that guy caused ever since he came aboard. Plan A, killing the ones who had heard how he wanted to mutilate his Captain to be able to take command himself failed so he was going to kill Ayko herself so he would be the highest ranking officer. Those Starfleet people had no influence here. Once he killed Ayko and got off this ship he figured they had to obey his orders and once he got back to Akrennia he would get his own command. No one would believe a few officers who told he killed his Captain. It was his word against theirs. Now that they didn't see him as a threat anymore and were busy pulling in the murder suspect he could easily walk in sickbay without someone holding him back.

"There were the double glass sliding doors" he thought when he passed around the last corner.

The doors automatically opened and closed after him. The room was dimly lit for the most part and the beds were occupied by only three people. Two were Starfleet who got injured during the last attack but the last one in the back was Ayko as he knew. On this late hour there weren't even people in here.

"It couldn't be easier" he thought an evil smile playing on his lips.

He placed his hand on the hilt of the knife, ready to pull it out and strike.

"Is someone here?" he asked.

"Hello?"

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

He barely kept himself from letting out a yell when the voice startled him. An average-sized man in teal-colored Starfleet uniform appeared out of nothing in front of him. Kryfar had never been this amazed in his entire life. He had appeared out of nothing and didn't seem surprised at all to find him here on this late hour.

"Who are you?" he asked in astonishment.

"Not who. It, but thanks for viewing me as an equal. I'm the Emergency Medical Hologram or EMH. An emergency doctor in case the Starfleet medical officer in charge is not available for duties. I can heal any wound and cure any injury. Are you feeling ill?"

"This is insane" Kryfar thought.

"A holographic doctor?"

He had noticed how the lighting in the room had jumped on to an average level when the hologram had appeared accept for the places where the patients were lying. It was enough to wake two of them, including Ayko.

"I'm not feeling ill" he replied not sure what to say to this, thing.

"Although one of you patients is going to find herself beyond the need of your duties" he thought ignoring the holo-doctor and stepping towards Ayko's bed.

"Kryfar, is that you?" Ayko asked with a cranky voice from the back of the infirmary.

"Yes Captain, it's me" he replied with a neutral undertone in his voice.

"Quiet" one of the other patients grumbled from behind the white curtains surrounding the beds.

The holographic man however followed him and tried to stop him. He was actually surprised when the computer program touched his shoulder and that it actually felt like a real hand.

"Visiting hours are over, I'm afraid you have to come back later, good bye sir" the man said with an exaggerated friendly voice trying to guide him away from the patient.

Kryfar was having enough of it. No more delays, Ayko was going to die now and in this sickbay. He pulled the knife and placed it against the artificial doctor's throat.

"Get out of my way!" he growled between clenched teeth not realizing that it was completely pointless to threaten a hologram with a knife.

The doctor of course didn't seem the slightest bit afraid of the weapon and continued on his calm and friendly tone.

"Didn't the Captain inform you that it is against Starfleet regulations for guests to wear weapons of any kind in areas other than their quarters?"

"Can't I turn you off?!" Kryfar rudely interrupted now really getting angry.

"I can be turned on and off with a single command, just…"

"Computer deactivate EMH!"

He was somehow surprised and glad that the computer confirmed and the man disappeared just when he was about to retort. Kryfar held still in front of Ayko's bed and pulled the curtains aside with a tug only to find his Captain sitting upright in bed shooting him a cranky look. He had enough of that look and would be glad to cut it out of her face with the sharp blade of his knife.

"Kryfar what are you doing here?! If this is about duty, now is not the time! Tomorrow I will…"

She swallowed the rest of her words when Kryfar didn't reply but showed his evil sharp-toothed grin. Her look glided from his face to the decorated knife in his right hand. A shock of fear shot through her body when she realized what he was up to. With no weapon to defend herself with, except her fists backed up by her weakened muscles there was no way she could escape. When she looked into her First Officer's eyes, it was like looking at death itself.

Preed rushed through the corridors like a madman. He didn't know how fast he had to run to get to sickbay. Still warning crewmembers of his approach and evading the ones who didn't jump aside in time he ignored the knocking pain at the side of his stomach.

"That's the murderer! Stop him!" one of the officers yelled when he recognized the Akrennian but didn't possess the means to do it himself.

On the lookout for Starfleet security forces who tried to stop him he raced around the last corner into the direction of the double glass sliding doors with the Starfleet medical logo imprinted into the design. He could clearly see that the lights were turned on and feared he was already too late and his Captain and girlfriend was dead. Hoping the opposite, with his heart pounding in his ears and knife firmly in his right hand he sprinted towards the automatic doors which barely opened fast enough to let him through.

"You're actually planning to kill me aren't you?" Ayko asked without showing any of the fear she felt.

She knew she could only delay her death. There was no escape and Kryfar had picked the right time. She was weak, still recovering from her injuries and brain surgery and not capable of putting up much of a fight.

"You coward" she thought.

_Don't even dare to face me if I'm at full strength._ Kryfar let out a malevolent laugh.

"I'm sick of you. I was never good enough for you wasn't I? I knew it right from the moment you let that idiot Preed join your inner circle. You were planning to exchange me for him weren't you? It was only a matter of time."

She couldn't believe what she actually hearing. He thought she was going to drop him?

"You've gone crazy" she said shaking her head.

"I guess that's what you get when you serve under people like you" he spat.

"And now you're going to pay the price for being insufferable" he said approaching her for the kill.

"Kryfar!"

He was about to cut her throat when a familiar voice startled him. He turned around and faced his most hated person since he left the Military Academy. Once again Preed showed up to save his Captain and ruin his carefully laid out plans for the second time.

"Aargh, not you again! Perhaps I have to kill you first!" he yelled in uncontrollable anger.

He left Ayko for what she was and rushed at Preed wildly lashing his knife only to hit nothing but empty air. Preed had seen through his direct attack and dove under his arm. Kryfar was taller than him and most likely stronger but that didn't mean this was already a lost fight. He grabbed Kryfar's arm with the knife and threw his fist into the Commander's stomach. Kryfar growled in pain but didn't drop the knife. Instead he tackled Preed and slit the knife across the side of his stomach. Preed yelled in pain and hit the ground hard, blood staining the leather of his military uniform and forming a small pool on the deck. Kryfar immediately moved in from behind and sunk through his knees to deal the final blow but that was a mistake on his part. Ready to ram the knife into Preed's neck he hadn't accounted for Preed's leg. With all his strength Preed launched a brutal kick into Kryfar's face breaking his nose with a cracking sound. Kryfar growled in anger and pain. Splatters of blood flew in all directions and the blood leaked from his nose and mouth when he returned the pain. His fist hit Preed's face twice making him roll over and lose his weapon, the blade flying out of reach and hitting the floor with a loud clanging. Feeling his strength slipping away Preed was unable to defend himself anymore against his next attack. Kryfar stood up and kicked him at the place where the blade of his knife had inflicted damage earlier watching how Preed whined in pain.

"I'm gonna show you what pain is!" Kryfar shouted, blood and spittle flying from his beak.

He roughly grabbed Preed by his shoulders and dragged him to Ayko's bed. For the first time in her life Ayko was paralyzed in fear. She knew Kryfar was easily capable of killing and had been waiting for a long time to get his promotion but never expected he would turn on her and her crew. When she watched Preed and her First Officer fight, she knew Preed wasn't a match for him. With no weapons within range and Kryfar easily able to kill her in her weakened state she kept sitting in her bed hoping that security would arrive soon. But when he tossed Preed's bleeding and beaten up body on her bed she knew it was over.

"Now I'm going to let you watch how I kill her. I want the only thing you remember to be the screaming of you girlfriend before you die too" he said malevolently, blood from his nose dripping on the white blankets.

The insanity was dripping from Kryfar's voice. When he was about to finish what he started, Ayko noticed the two armed men in gold-accented Starfleet uniform in the corner of her eyes. When the knife came down an orange-colored beam exited the muzzles of their weapons and hit Kryfar in the back. She tried to evade his attack but it was too late. Just before he lost consciousness Kryfar pressed the blade down with all of his strength. A loud scream left her mouth when the blade penetrated the left side of her chest. Kryfar's motionless body felt next to her on the blood-stained blanket. A large growing red spot had appeared at her left and the machines monitoring her vital signs went wild. She felt herself becoming dizzy from the pain and second major bloodloss since the accident.

"Noooo!" Preed yelled fearing that it was over.

Ayko was dying in front of his eyes and this awareness suddenly gave him enough strength to stand up. He collected his own knife from the floor and in one last moment of intense hate, he wanted to cut Kryfar's throat and make an end to his life once and for all. He was held back by two Starfleet officers who took away his weapon and while he struggled to break free and kill Kryfar he watched how Starfleet medical personnel arrived and a man who was obviously a doctor appeared out of nothing. They quickly took care of the dying Ayko while two more Starfleet security officers collected Kryfar's motionless body and placed him under arrest. After he realized that fighting the two men was pointless he calmed down and started to cry softly. After a short moment Captain Pierce arrived. Preed had known him as a calm and friendly man but the anger was clearly present in the expression occupying his face. Even Korso and Akima arrived because they too had picked up what happened.

"Let me go!" Preed yelled.

"I'll kill him! He deserves to die!"

This dragged Pierce's attention who stepped up to him and directed his anger at him.

"There will be no more killing aboard my ship today! Nobody _deserves_ to die! And if you can't control yourself you're going to the brig with him!"

Preed curled up and turned his eyes down at Jason's hard words. He could very well understand his anger but his own anger was stronger and still wanted Kryfar to die for what he did. One of Pierce´s officers explained his Captain what happened and that they had mistaken Preed for the murderer.

"Is this true?" Jason asked him.

"Yes sir. He was on his way to kill Ayko and when I wanted to stop him myself your people considered me the suspect to the murder on Klegg."

"You were the one who reported the murder on your fellow crewmate. I found your communicator in his quarters."

"That's right."

"Hmm" Jason mumbled.

"For now I believe you but there will be some further questioning about what happened exactly. Take him to the brig" he ordered the two men who dragged Kryfar's motionless body away.

"You'll have my full cooperation sir" Preed ensured.

"Thank you" Jason ended the discussion.

"Preed what happened?" Akima asked with a face full of worries when she approached him.

The two men finally let go of him after which he collapsed because his own somehow legs couldn't carry his weight anymore.

"When I heard that an Akrennian started killing I thought it was you again."

Preed looked up wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"Wow, thanks for your vote of confidence in me" he replied with a bitter laugh.

After a doctor had healed his injuries and cleaned up some of the blood that stuck to his body, Akima took him to a silent corner of the infirmary while the medical officers did their jobs to save Ayko's life for the second time, where he told her and his former Captain the whole story. How he met Ayko, how he joined her crew, how difficult it was at the beginning and eventually how he fell in love with her and wanted to share everything with her. Korso and Akima listened without interrupting, captivated by what Preed had been through on his own after he left Korso's crew.

"I'm sorry" Akima finally said after he finished his story.

She put a hand on his shoulder which he found comforting. He knew he had been insufferable towards her aboard the _Valkyrie_ and that she hated him for what he did at the _Titan_ and that's what made it so special.

"It's okay" he replied with a sigh.

"It's my own fault. I should have told Ayko right away when I had the chance. How could I be so stupid?!"

Captain Pierce joined them to tell the good news.

"The doctor says that she's stable for now but this is a major injury so shortly after the first one. This will extend her recovering period by at least two more days."

Preed looked up with a relieved expression on his face.

"I'm just glad she hasn't joined our ancestors yet" he replied taking a deep breath.

Pierce's combadge beeped.

"Captain Pierce, please report to astrometrics. We've got a situation."

"I'm on my way. You better come with me" he said to Akima and Korso.

Instead of spending more hours next to the bed of his beloved one, Preed decided to take a few hours of sleep himself. Korso and Akima were already fit for duty again but he didn't have a single hour of rest next to his recovery since he was dismissed from sickbay. He still wasn't back at full strength yet and the fight with Kryfar had taken its toll. His life was looking much brighter without Kryfar and after he had taken a sonic shower that rinsed his body and helped to sped up the healing process of his body he let himself fall down on the bed and closed his eyes wishing he could try for one time what humans and most other aliens call dreaming.

"_Significant damage detected in primary power grid in sections thirty-six alpha to forty-eight beta. Rerouting power to secondary grid to compensate. Secondary processing node gamma damaged beyond repair. Auto-repair systems failing… Force of biological entities on route for primary core chamber. Defensive mechanisms failing. Destruction of primary core chamber considered a likely possibility. Standing by for emergency transfer of all controlling systems._"

What Rajah and his team were going through was rock-hard reality. Furious about what they had been through and the terror these Machine had rained down on the citizens of the spiral arm they rushed through the corridor with a mechanical army on their tails. They were unstoppable. The Mantrins were using their hard-hitting weaponry to destroy everything in their path, blasting themselves through closed blast doors and blowing up conduits to disrupt all attempts at stopping them. Stith who was forming the aft defense was having a rough time together with one of the EAF soldiers at keeping the Machines of their back. The guns and in her case her blasters alone weren't sufficient and they were running out of grenades more rapidly than anticipated. The spinners were difficult to take out in such closed quarters and the spiders just kept coming, crawling over their own dead like it was nothing.

"More grenades!" Stith yelled over the deafening sound of explosions in the small corridor.

"Coming!" one of the soldiers said handing her a couple more.

Using an intelligent mechanism, she clipped the explosives he handed over on her belt for later use. The extra weight of the grenades they had packed in their backpacks now came in handy as they couldn't do it without them. The EMP grenades fried every piece of electronics within a certain range and the photon grenades blew craters into the ground and major holes with sparkling edges of broken power conduits into the walls, not to mention the large amounts of enemies they turned into scrap metal with a devastating blast.

"How long?" someone yelled.

"Fifty more meters!" Rajah yelled back.

"Hold them off!"

They needed to blow up another blast door to continue and they needed to do it quickly because Stith and the other Mantrin were already having trouble. They were coming in faster than they could destroy them. Another loud explosion followed and when Rajah stepped through the smoldering hole in the blast door he stepped into the middle of the largest hall he had ever seen and witnessed a most terrifying sight. Machines were flying and walking everywhere ready to defend their controlling master. Three huge columns similar to the secondary one they had destroyed were surrounding a huge projection platform. Above this projection platform hovered a virtual swirling matrix of code moving in random patterns. The code matrix had more or less taken the shape of a sphere and although it was just a projection, it had something intelligent. Neither Rajah nor the others could tell what it exactly was but the swirling projection of code had something sentient like it was alive. The essence of the AI was hanging in front of them and amazed as they were they didn't have time to study it in detail. It had to be destroyed so that it couldn't inflict any more harm. And not a moment too soon. The Machines in the hall had detected them and were moving in for a swift kill, spiders and spinner drones closing in from all directions.

"For the Empire and the Republic!" Rajah yelled taking the lead.

He and several others rapidly slit a new powerpack into their weapons and picked their targets. A storm of lasers and plasma pulses broke out between the army of machines and the Mantrin assault group. The sphere composed of code suddenly changed shape and color and formed the contours of a devilish red face, a shape _they_ could understand. The frightening machine-like voice bellowed through the hall when the attack continued.

"Resistance is futile. All inferior biological lifeforms will cease to exist. There is a ninety-nine point night eight percent change that you will fail in your attempt to stop us. Cease your attack and your puny little lives will be swiftly ended."

"I'd rather take the point zero two percent and die a little less swift!" Stith yelled back without losing her concentration.

She needed to prevent the enemy from getting to close. The lasers weren't exceptionally powerful but were eventually fatal. She could already hear screams between the shots fired and it didn't take long before she took the first hit herself. She roared in pain when the beam of energy burned her flesh making her fight even more fiery then before. But all that shooting had its price and although they were moving closer and closer to the base of the tower she could feel herself starting to get tired. She was panting just like everyone else and her high-yield blasters, although capable of taking out several enemies with one shot were running on the last bit of juice left in their powerpacks. She had brought a few extra packs with her but at the highest setting, they were really consuming a lot of energy. Eventually the Machines managed to gain the upper hand in the fight. Only five meters in front of the data port, Rajah received a critical hit in his shoulder. The laser beam penetrated his damaged armor and exited at the back. The heat of the beam scorched the wounds shut but the Mantrin collapsed to the ground with a loud roar dragging the attention of his brother Kero.

"Brother!" the Prince yelled rushing to his aid and keeping the Machines off his incapacitated brother.

Rajah scrambled back on his feet but was barely able to keep using his left arm.

"Keep going!" he ordered biting his teeth and trying to find some cover at the base of the tower.

Kero nodded firmly and did as he said. Three more meters and the AI was still very much convinced there was nothing they could do to prevent their death. Stith's hearts skipped few beats when she heard Azkun's yell again. The cranky female Ryrjhii was actually too weakened by her injuries to keep fighting. One of the laser beams had hit her back again scorching her flesh and making her growl in anger and pain. Nunchaku roared and rushed to her aid but Azkun was critically wounded and not able to continue the fight. Only one meter and Kero and his wounded brother would have made to the data port. Throwing her last grenade in an attempt to hold them off for only a few more seconds she urged them to hurry. Nunchaku roared again when a spinner drone targeted his right leg. Blood sprayed over the floor when the blade chopped his flesh away. His massive legs couldn't support his and Azkun's weight anymore. The sound around Stith faded for a moment. The death, the destruction around her. It all became a little too much. Nunchaku's body hit the ground with a loud bang. They were so close and yet they were on the verge of losing more people. More blood mixed with Nunchaku's when she watched how another spinner drone put his blade into the soft flesh of another warrior. The Mantrin roared loudly and fell on his knees.

"Kero what are you waiting for!" she heard herself shout.

Kero's ears picked up her yell and as soon as he reached the base of the tower he retrieved the data module from his pocket. He watched it for a moment, hoping that this would put an end to all the suffering and asking Kirliya to please hear his call. One of their last EMP grenades managed to partially disable the defensive field around the data port granting them access. He shook his head and brought his hand to the port.

"Time to pull the plug you monster!" he said ramming the module into the port.

For two seconds it looked like nothing happened. The killing and destruction around them continued leaving Kero standing with both his hearts pounding in his ears. But after that the Machines halted, they stopped firing and attacking and just halted. From the base of the three computer cores, a black veil of infection began to spread upwards killing the white light the columns were spreading across the room.

"_Unknown quantum virus detected... Primary intrusion prevention systems failing... Complete system failure imminent... Attempting to restore system… Back-up systems corrupted. Decoupling infected processing nodes from primary entity. Executing essential systems transfer to mothership in five… four… three… two… one… Transferring…" _


	42. Chapter 40 A Mission Failed

**A Mission Failed**

"All right, I'm here, what's the problem?" Pierce informed when he entered the lab.

Something clearly wasn't good because his officers were running diagnostics and double checking everything in a hurry. The lead officer assigned one of his subordinates to his current task to inform his superior.

"Sir, moments ago our sensors detected a massive drop in the power levels on the surface of the planet."

"Again, what's the problem? I'll have Commander Winter set a course to pick up the team."

Jason already wanted to press his combadge to have his First Officer carry out the order. Akima who had followed Jason together with her own Captain was relieved to hear what he just said. Apparently Otrin's team of elite soldiers did it and she hoped they all made it to the end. But her happiness faded away when she saw how Pierce's officer withheld his Captain from establishing communications with the _Highlander_'s bridge.

"I think you can better wait with that sir."

The officer lead Pierce, Korso and Akima to one of the two huge viewscreens currently showing diagrams of the situation around the planet. The anomalous reading in question was marked clearly, suggesting a massive spike in its power output.

"As soon as power levels on the surface dropped, the power output of that space-born installation I mentioned earlier rose. In fact it is now at almost the same level as it has been on the surface a few minutes ago."

"Meaning?" Pierce asked already fearing the answer.

"We suspect that the AI might have transferred itself to a space-born installation when it felt threatened."

"The ground facility?"

"Still intact but we're detecting massive power spikes. The virus has set the primary power core to overload and it will detonate in approximately twenty-three minutes."

"And that space station? Can you tell me anything about its capabilities, its defenses, anything that can help in taking it down?"

Jason but also Korso and Akima could feel that this was all drastically going into the wrong direction. The AI should have been neutralized but it seemed like the only thing they had done was chase it out of its hideout into a fortress.

"Nothing in particular at the moment sir, just that it is huge but the Machines are gathering around it. Maybe they're expecting us to attack. The whole system is gathering to defend this installation."

"That complicates things a bit" Korso remarked.

"Otherwise the only thing we have to do is take out that station's stabilizers and gravity will do the rest but they never seem to make things easy for us."

But just when they started to think off possible ways to take out a space station that size, the marked dot indicating the space station increased power levels again and started to change direction. It didn't take long for everyone to understand that it was on the move and that it wasn't a space station but a ship! It was a huge mothership capable of carrying the AI aboard.

"I can't imagine the resources to build a vessel that size" Akima whispered.

A few seconds later Chrysta's voice sounded over the com. system.

"Captain Pierce, please report to the bridge. A fleet of enemy warships is moving in to intercept."

"I'm on my way Commander. Keep us out of their weapons range. Hail the _Son of the Empire_ and prepare for battle."

When Jason reached the bridge of his ship his whole crew was in an uproar. An enormous fleet was moving into their direction at considerable speed and they needed to push their engines hard if they wanted to make it out of their way in time. There was absolutely no way two ships could hold off an armada that size. Jason took his place and asked for a status.

"Moving out of their weapons range sir" Chrysta informed.

"Captain the _Son of the Empire_ is hailing us again. Putting it up on screen."

"That's a bit too much for two ships to handle" Rilas said looking serious.

Jason knew that the Mantrin would have battled it out till the bitter end if necessary but he too understood that now wasn't the time to die.

"They're coming within visual range."

Jason didn't know what else to say anymore. He had witnessed a lot in his Starfleet career but this was overwhelming and even frightened him. Hundreds of Machine battleships, cruisers, destroyers and carriers most likely carrying dozens upon dozens of attack fighters were flanking a ship like that didn't look like anything he had ever seen. The closest thing it resembled was a huge eight-armed snowflake. In the center of this huge oddly shaped structure was a huge complex of towers, columns and spines on top of a more or less half sphere. It looked like a thirty kilometers in diameter city in space entirely made of metal. Scanners went wild while Pierce tactical officer tried to make sense out of all the data coming in.

"Sir, I am… On one of the arms only I'm already detecting more than one-hundred and sixty-four weapon batteries. This thing has enough firepower to vaporize a planet within seconds."

"My God" Akima who was watching the scene from astrometrics brought out.

This terrifying structure was rapidly moving in one the _Highlander_ and _Son of the Empire_. It was surprisingly fast for its size and it didn't exactly have a distinguishable fore or aft but the fact that they couldn't detect any exhaust nozzles or engine nacelles indicated that they were using an exotic kind of propulsion system that must be extremely powerful, especially if they wanted to move such a vessel at warp speeds.

"Sir it looks like they're ignoring us."

The officer had spoken like he couldn't even believe it himself. The huge fleet passed by without arming weapons or giving off signs that it viewed the two ships as a threat. In fact, as soon as the vessels cleared the system they activated their warp engines one by one, their flashes lighting up space like Christmas lights. Eventually as suspected, even the huge vessel disappeared into warp with a massive warp flash leaving a more or less empty system behind.

"Can we enter the system?" Pierce asked.

"I'm only picking up minor activity within the system sir. Even if we do engage in battle, they don't have enough firepower left to stop us."

"Sir, I've tracked the course of their fleet."

"It's about time" Jason replied.

"Sir they… They are heading for New Earth."

Akima burst into tears when she heard over the open com. channel with the bridge what was said and threw herself against her Captain, her arms wrapped around his neck. Korso didn't know what to do first but eventually patted her on the back and said a few comforting words in an attempt to put her at ease. The fact that they were now so close to losing everything they had rebuild also weighed down heavily upon him. When Cale entered astrometrics after he was finally done with the repairs on the _Valkyrie_ he took over from Korso who in turn comforted Ensign Cho who wasn't able to control her emotions too.

"I finally though we had found our place again. A place to live. And in a few moments it's gone. It's all gone again" she cried.

"No, no, Akima. We will not let that happen. We will not give up without a fight."

"They are going to take away our home again Cale."

Cale wiped her tears away and comforted her, determined not to let that happen again. Humanity had been hunted on for long enough and it was time to make a stand.

"Can you get a message through to New Earth?"

"Negative sir" the operations officer replied shaking his head.

"The Machines are jamming our transmissions."

"What about the starbase?"

"I think I can get a message through."

"Do it" Pierce said with a firm nod.

"Send a priority one subspace message to Admiral Cunnington over emergency channels. Boost power to the deflector array if necessary. We need reinforcements. In the mean time set a course for the planet. Let's go get the team. Can we make a small warp jump?"

"Not recommended sir but I know a few tricks" his helmsman replied with a grin.

A few moments later Rilas' head appeared on the screen.

"I've send a message to Imperial Command to inform them about recent developments. I don't know if I can get reinforcements here in time but that large vessel out there is slower at warp. It might give us enough time to gather a fleet large enough to hold them off."

"Thanks Rilas. We'll need it" Jason acknowledged.

With precious time slipping away, Jason ordered his helmsman to make a small warp jump to Aridanis IV. The random attacks on other worlds of the Republic were only a means to divert their attention from the real target. It had been Earth all along. The existence of the human race was in danger, not in one but in two universes.

Kero dropped to his first set of knees with a feeling of complete dismay while Machines, that were now useless pieces of scrapmetal, clanged down on the metal floor next to him. Sparks showered down on the floor and what little lights still on flickered. The AI was gone, the place was about to fall apart around them and the mission failed. _He_ had failed or at least he felt that way.

"What did I do wrong?" he asked himself.

_Why didn't it work?_ He kept asking himself these and more questions until he felt Stith's hand on his shoulder. He grabbed her hand with his and stood up. He looked her in the eyes with fear, sadness and a bit of frustration in his bright blue eyes and asked her those same questions. She tried to calm him down but he didn't listen. When he began to yell at no one in particular she grabbed him by his broad shoulders and shook him back into reality.

"Kero! Kero listen to me! It's not your fault!"

"But I failed" he whispered softly fearing that it was all over and someone would blame him for it.

"You didn't fail" she said continuing on a normal volume.

"The virus didn't fail either. The AI outsmarted us. It made a move we did not anticipate but there's no time. We've gotta get out of here before everything blows."

Even Rajah noticed how his brother was experiencing this. He was about to regain his honor as a warrior of the Empire and now it was pulled beyond his reach again.

"We're not blaming you" Rajah said patting him on the shoulder.

"You did well but it has grown beyond our control now. It happens to the best of us. We gotta go and figure out what to do next. We can't stay here, this place is about to fall apart."

The periodic showers of sparks intensified and the complex began to shake now and then, urging them to hurry. Supporting their wounded fellow warriors, the team began to move out, slowly at first but faster as they were hurried by explosions, collapsing bulkheads and sparking conduits. The tunnels were long and dangerous even now that they weren't chased by a mechanical army ready to slice them into tiny pieces.

"Watch out!" Stith yelled when another conduit blew and filled the tunnel with a gaseous compound.

She coughed when she breathed in the gas and hoping that it wasn't poisonous she stepped through the cloud following the others. The equipment was still heavy and her back ached just like everyone else's because they had been carrying all of it with them for so long now. The complex didn't have a clear exit but their current direction should lead them to a hangar bay where more killing Machines were normally stored and kept ready to move out. The danger wasn't coming from those this time but from environmental hazards.

"I'm taking another direction" Rajah yelled back when their path was blocked by fire.

They were already sweating heavily and the heat from fires made this even worse. Smoke from fires and leaking conduits started to fill the corridors and eventually the Mantrins got trouble breathing. Especially Nunchaku and Azkun who were already having trouble keeping with the rest because of their injuries were having it difficult. With neither Ryrjhii willing to give up sooner than the other they just kept moving. The complex was now shaking permanently with the intensity varying by the moment. Explosions in the background started to tear everything apart.

"Almost there!" Rajah yelled with the last hundred meters to go.

Light shone at the end of the tunnel and when they were out of it they found themselves standing in a burning hangar. Coughing because of the thick grey smoke and evading the fires they worked their way through. A powerful force field normally had to seal off the complex from outsiders but because of the power failures it was now offline. Taking huge gasps of fresh air the Mantrins hurried themselves into the forest and to safety. Behind them, explosions tore the complex apart. The localized thunderstorms were beginning to dissipate leaving only a clean purplish sky. Towers collapsed with thundering violence and fires send thick black smoke into Aridanis IV's clear sky which was beginning to light up. Dawn was making an end to the night when the first rays of the blue Aridanis sun began to warm up the surface and chase away the coolness of the night. But it was as if it was also chasing away a dark period for the planet. The exploitation by the Machines left gaping holes into its surface that would take dozens of years to heal on its own but perhaps if they managed to populate the planet they could accelerate the process. All eight warriors dropped off their equipment and let themselves fall on their backs in the grass from exhaustion. Kero had never felt so tired in his entire life. He, Stith and Nunchaku weren't genetically enhanced like the others but even the EAF soldiers were having trouble controlling their breath.

"And what do we do now?" he asked letting the smell of grass and flowers rinse out the smoke from his nose.

An ugly cut was running over his left cheek, leaving trails of blood running down his face.

"I can try to send a message. But they're probably still jamming everything" Rajah replied.

"I think that won't be necessary" Stith replied pointing at the sky.

A Federation shuttle, although larger than average descended from the sky on thrusters. It was a runabout, a warp-capable multi-mission craft that could be outfitted with a variety of special equipment depending on the mission's needs. The large shuttle landed on the grass field with a bump but the pilot kept the engines going so they could get going immediately. The Mantrins stood up supporting their wounded fellow warriors so that they could all get to safety. The large bay door in the back of the runabout lowered allowing them quick access. As soon as they we're aboard the door closed shut and the craft lifted off to space, away from the planet so that the long healing process could take place. This time the runabout's tiny onboard medical facility was extended with some extra supplies for possible critical injuries. Fortunately that wasn't needed but two Starfleet medical officers immediately took care of them with hypospray's and tissue regenerators. Azkun growled at the man who was trying to give her a sub-dermal injection although he only wanted to take care of her injuries.

"Please don't kill me" he said at an easing tone at her hostile behavior.

"I'm only trying to help you."

"It's okay Azkun" Rajah put her mind at ease.

The Mantrins were sitting in the aft bay on the metal bench alongside the walls of the large shuttle waiting for the doctors to give them the treatment.

"It feels great."

After Rajah convinced her Azkun showed the man the bare pitch-black skin of her neck so that he could give her the injection but not without losing him from her eyesight. Rajah moved his head to loosen up the sore muscles of his neck and untied his damaged armor. The team dropped off the heavy backpacks and their equipment and freed themselves from their protective harnesses. It wasn't very comfortable to wear but it was that or die. Kero removed the soaked sweatband from his forehead and shook his head, his long ears flapping around lazily.

"That's better" he said after he received the mild painkiller.

All Mantrins had injuries in the form of cuts and bruises on various places of their bodies but only a select few had more severe injuries. But thanks to advanced medical technology there wouldn't even be scars left afterwards.

"We have to give you these injections" one of the doctor's explained.

When the core overload started it began to leak and flooded the area with radiation. These injections will kill the effects and make sure you would suffer from any prolonged effects or illnesses at later age. It also prevented a transporter lock; otherwise we would have beamed you up.

"Where are the Machines? How are you able to get here without being shot down?" Rajah asked.

The system had been heavily guarded with defensive platforms, monitoring stations and countless patrols when they first got here.

"The Machines and the AI left the system taking a good portion of their fleet with them. We encountered practically no resistance when we got here."

"To where?" Stith asked fearing the destruction of entire worlds.

"Their current course will take them directly to New Earth. We'll pursue them as soon as we're on board."

Rajah cursed inarticulately and Stith feared for the citizens of the newly created human homeworld.

"Poor Akima" she thought.

The destruction of your homeworld is the worst thing a species could overcome. But twice in such a short period of time was unthinkable.

The runabout asked permission to dock with the _Son of the Empire_ after which the Mantrins left the small ship and the craft returned to the _Highlander_. Kero made it to the bridge of his ship with haste together with Stith while the rest of the team returned to their quarters to freshen up or headed for the mess hall to have a good meal once again. Field rations weren't exactly the tastiest things. Kero knew he couldn't command the bridge with his ripped uniform soaked with sweat but he still wanted to show his face to ease the crew. He was already greeted by crewmembers on his way to the bridge.

"Good to have you back sir. You too Lieutenant."

"Good to _be_ back Ensign" Kero replied with a smirk.

He instantly knew they had been waiting in suspense when he stepped out of the turbolift and on the command deck of his proud vessel. They received him and Stith with open arms, celebrating their return.

"I'm glad to have you back sir. Your ship and its crew are waiting for you again" Rilas greeted him with a smirk.

"I didn't doubt for a moment you weren't up to the task Rilas. Just keep her running. I need a little break."

Kero added a yawn and rubbed his eye with one fist.

"Welcome back sir" Naea said with an arm around her younger sister's shoulder.

"Hey Stith. Guess you did a pretty good job at covering his back."

"Well it was a tough job but nothing I couldn't handle" Stith replied with a wink.

"Did it work out?" she asked the younger Fjetahna of the two.

Kiké greeted her with a smile like always and replied very enthusiastically.

"Well, there wasn't much to shoot at but I ran a few tactical training simulations and your advice was very helpful, thanks."

"Glad I could be of help."

The com. beeped and the bridge of the _Highlander _appeared on screen.

"Welcome back Captain."

Jason greeted him cheerfully but right after that the undertone in his voice turned very serious.

"As you probably already know the situation is a bit dire. The enemy is on its way to New Earth and there's no way to warn them of their coming. If their long range sensors pick them up they might have an hour or two at most to prepare."

"What do you suggest Captain?" Kero asked having that nasty feeling of failure again.

"Why didn't it work?" he asked himself again.

"We're going to pursue them. I've already…"

Suddenly Jason was interrupted by one of his own officers who picked up something on sensors. After he had the officer confirm the readings Jason turned his attention towards the screen again and was just a little more optimistic than before.

"Well at least that turned out all right. Let's just say, right after that fleet warped out, Rilas here decided to call in the cavalry."

"He did what?" Kero asked feeling this was one of those odd human expressions again.

At that moment a couple of dozen Mantrin warships entered the system and joined with the _Highlander_ and _Son of the Empire._ The _Highlander_'s bridge disappeared and made place for the bridge of an Imperial vessel captained by a familiar face.

"Greetings Prince Kero."

"Captain Ma'zan. Good to see you again."

"I wish it were under better circumstances Captain. But the fourth assault fleet is standing by for your orders."

"Aye Captain" Kero saluted.

But Rilas held him away from the Captain's chair.

"Rilas what is this? This is important."

Rilas let out a soft laugh.

"No offence sir, but you both look like hell."

"No we've only _been_ through hell" Stith replied with a laugh.

"And those field rations were horrible" she added feeling her empty stomach.

"It will take a while before we reach New Earth, even at maximum warp. Take some rest. Spare your strength for the real battle" Rilas encouraged them.

When Stith urged him to do the same Kero gave in but not without one last announcement.

"Some of you already know what's going on between us two and some of you might have already figured it out and I'm not going to keep it a secret anymore."

Kero wrapped his muscular arm around his sweaty girlfriend and licked her cheek.

"Stith and I are in love."

"Ohhh, I'm so happy for you two. You're gonna make a lovely couple" Naea said.

"Congratulations sir" Kiké said a little more modest.

The crew congratulated Kero and Stith after which the two beloved ones left the bridge. After a couple of more moments, with no time to spare and Rilas still in command of the _Son of the Empire_ the large Mantrin assault fleet warped out at an average speed of warp nine point two. They were running one hour behind the Machines and they couldn't catch up with them in time before they reached New Earth. However it would still take the fleet fourteen hours to reach the human homeworld and that could be a good thing since it would give them some time to prepare for what was still to come.

"Damn it! Keep quiet!" Preed snarled.

He noticed several crewmembers of the _Highlander_ shooting a glance when he walked past. After all they had never seen a Krach'thaa before. He was actually planning to reunite Jick'chii with her owner yesterday but since Kryfar ruined that plan it had to wait. Preed wasn't good with animals and especially not with Krach'thaa's. Iyu had decided to take care of her Captain's pet for as long as it took but was still glad he finally took her off her hands and Preed could very well understand why. Even now that he was wearing protective gloves, Jick'chii decided to look for another soft piece of flesh to put her teeth in. The black-skinned dragon-like animal tried to bite whenever she got the chance and from what Preed had understood from Ayko her bite was still lethal so he had to be careful.

"Stop it! Don't you understand that I'm taking you to momma?!"

But Jick'chii had other plans. Preed was glad that he had almost reached sickbay because the animal started to flutter its leathery semi-transparent wings in an attempt to break free of his arms. But Preed had her in a firm grip with his arm around the animal's surprisingly strong neck to avoid getting bitten. Jick'chii howled and screeched but didn't succeed in her frantic efforts to escape. When he stepped through the sickbay doors that automatically opened for him he instinctively walked into the direction of Ayko's bed. Ayko was already awake and the Starfleet medical officer on duty came out of his office to see what all the commotion was about.

"No unknown lifeforms in my sickbay" the man stated with no room for exceptions.

"Oh shut up!" Preed exclaimed after already enough annoyance for one day.

"Excuse me?!" the doctor replied indignant.

But Preed didn't listen. He only had eye for Ayko who was waiting with gleaming orange eyes.

"Look what I found" Preed said with a smirk, glad that he could finally let go of the Krach'thaa.

The animal jumped from his arms as soon as he released her and glided the last part where she landed on Ayko's bed. She curled up against her owner and licked Ayko's cheek with her long pink tongue.

"Jick'chii" Ayko brought out in happiness after being reunited with her pet she thought she lost in the attack.

"Oh, my sweet Jick'chii."

The animal howled softly and curled up on her lap glad that she was back with her owner and out of Preed's arms.

"They found her in your quarters. Apparently that part of the ship was still intact and still had a breathable atmosphere."

After the doctor saw that it was all right he returned to his office, still aggravated that Preed had talked to him like that. But happiness sped up the healing process of the patient so he allowed it for this time.

"How can I thank you for this?" Ayko asked.

"By killing the person who tried to kill you and me."

Anger flashed through Ayko's eyes when she remembered her treacherous First Officer.

"That filthy backstabbing piece of crap. I knew Kryfar wanted his own command a long time ago but I never expected this."

She balled her fists and looked at Preed with determination.

"With pleasure. When I'm on my feet again. I'll break every bone in his body."

"I'm just glad you're still here."

Ayko chuckled.

"Yeah, each time we seem to be missing our appointment with death. Come here, I've missed your company."

But as soon as Preed came closer she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him with her on the bed. Jick'chii screeched indignantly and fluttered up to find a safer location.

"I'm never going to let go of you again" she whispered in his ear after which she playfully bit in the scruff of his neck.

"Aow! Your teeth are sharp!"

"I know" Ayko replied grabbing his face and pressing her lips on his.

Preed was completely overwhelmed by her sudden move of passion. He fully enjoyed their love and the sudden tension between them at some moments and realized that he loved this woman more than anything else.

"What are you going to do when this is over?" he asked barely able to speak the words because Ayko was completely gone up in their fiery love.

"I'm taking you back, to Akrennia… In a week… Or two…"

"And then?"

With an elegant move she began to stroke the plate of metal integrated into his skull, the touch of her long and slender fingers somehow making that piece of metal feel like real bone again.

"You're gonna meet my family. I'm claiming you as my mate. And then, I'll make you First Officer of my new ship."

"Wow, thanks" Preed replied not knowing what else to say.

"You don't have to thank me. Just shut up and kiss me."

Preed did as she instructed and they continued their little love display. Ayko completely forgot that she still needed time to recover and used all the strength she had build up in the mean time to make love with Preed. Preed on the other hand finally knew he had found something worth living for.

Captain Joseph Korso was sitting in the place which he had most thought of as home since the destruction of the original Earth. The bridge of the _Valkyrie_ was completely quiet. Most consoles were offline and only a few monitors showing status of primary systems like life-support and main power were the only lights active. The large bubble-shaped main window showed the internals of the _Highlander_'s docking bay since warp engines were offline and would probably stay offline until they got back into space dock. Cale told him that the warp coil used to generate the subspace displacement required for warp travel was completely fried. Since they didn't have one for spare or the spare parts, manpower and time to build one from scratch he was glad the _Highlander_ had been with them all the time. Some Captains might have considered it humiliating to let his ship be towed home but Korso was just glad he could participate in the upcoming battle. After all the rest of the systems could be repaired without too much problems.

"Captain's log February 9th, 3044. To my regrets I have to report that the mission didn't exactly turn out into the success we hoped for. The AI has transferred itself aboard one massive vessel and is commanding its assault fleet in person, if you could call it that way, to destroy our planet. I can hardly believe it myself until I saw it with my own eyes. A terrible and frightening creation with yet unknown capabilities although we can assume that the weapons on that ship have enough power to obliterate a planet. Captain Pierce has contacted Starfleet with a request for reinforcements and Captain Rilas who is still temporarily replacing Prince Kero until the battle is leading a huge reinforcement fleet of Mantrin warships on course for Earth. Computer pause."

Korso paused and buried his head in his hands for a moment, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He hadn't slept much and was relying on coffee to stay awake. He promised himself to get some sleep but each time he tried to come up with another excuse to stay awake. Even Akima told him to go to sleep just like the rest of the crew but he couldn't just close his eyes and pretend everything was all right. He wanted the _Valkyrie_ to be in an as optimal condition as possible before the fight.

"Computer resume log."

The computer beeped in affirmation and its instructor continued.

"In addition we managed to gather more intel on what's going on inside that system and we made another shocking discovery. It turns out that Admiral Xilrai was right. The Machines have a stable trans-dimensional gate in the area which they can use for bringing in more reinforcements. If we manage to hold off that fleet, we have to get back and destroy it or we will face a second full scale invasion. Honestly, I don't wanna know what lies behind that portal. It's best to close it off for good."

He paused again and decided to put his mind at ease just by telling what he felt. It added a little personal touch to the log.

"I don't know if we're gonna make it through this. I don't wanna think about it that these hours could be humanities last. But if we make it through this, it will solidify the alliance and the new era Chancellor Laroc spoke of can finally begin when the dust settles. An era of peace without wars and suffering."

Korso was suddenly disturbed by Cale and Gune who stepped on the bridge. Cale's face had black smudges on it and his hands were covered in a black greasy substance that could only come from main engineering but he was more or less in a happy state.

"Status report sir" the young man said.

"Is the com. down again?"

"No, it's all right Cale. I wanted some privacy so I turned it off. You can turn it on again."

Cale pressed a button on a panel to do as he said and began to relay the report to his Captain.

"All primary systems except warp drive are functioning again Captain. All secondary systems should be up in about two hours."

"Good work Cale, I know I can count on you."

"Gune even helped boy to get cloaking device back online" Gune added enthusiastically.

"If there's nothing else Captain, I get back to main engineering."

"Cale?" Korso called preventing him from doing so.

"How's Akima?"

The welfare of his crew was something he always thought of as the most important thing. One other reason for his concern about Akima was that he didn't want to take this ship into battle without anyone else at the helm.

"I talked her into getting some rest but as you might understand, she's still very much upset. But she will take her place behind the helm once we reach Earth sir. You can count on her."

"I know."

Cale sighed.

"Gune, if you like you can start working on recalibrating the sensor array. We have everything under control in main engineering."

"Yes Cale" Gune replied when Cale had already left off for main engineering.

The alien took his place behind the co-pilot's console and let his small but agile fingers dance over the lighted panels. When Gune noticed his Captain didn't speak a word the Grepoan scientist started to talk to him.

"Captain does not need to worry so much. Gune can almost feel Captain's concern."

The alien's sudden voice almost startled him, so far had his thoughts drifted away.

"I know Gune, but losing your homeworld twice? That's hardly something I, or anyone else can keep cool at. Don't you ever miss your homeworld?"

"Gune left his homeworld long time ago" he squawked.

"It is far far away. Gune was still very young when his parents left off for mission of exploration. But Gune does not worry because one day he will return."

He had sounded so confident that there was no doubt that Gune was going to leave his crew one day. Maybe he would ask him for a ride, as a last favor and maybe one day he would just be gone, never to be heard from again.

"You are gonna tell me if you decide to leave eh?" Korso asked.

"Of course I will, but Gune enjoys his staying aboard Captain's ship. Always chasing after new adventures."

"And you're welcome to stay as long as you like Gune" Korso replied in a more or less fatherly manor.

He kind of felt that way too. He was the father of a crew he had to keep safe in any situation. And this time it was proving to get difficult.

"Wow! You're really rough today" Kero exclaimed when his back hit the bulkhead.

After a hot shower and a good meal to flush away the taste of those field rations Stith decided to make love. Her voice was full of lust when she replied.

"Down on that planet, that was rough. I'm merely just playing" she replied panting and biting in the scruff of his neck.

"Wouldn't it be better to wait after this is over? We could die you know."

"Then at least you die with the thought that I truly loved you."

She grabbed him by his uniform, pulled him off the wall and pushed him down on the bed.

"I want you" she said with a soft growl after which she jumped on his chest and attacked him in a playful manor.

"Oh, you wanna play it that way?" he smirked.

"Come and get me then."

He grabbed her by her shoulders and used the strength in his large legs to roll her over so that he ended out on top and licked her cheek. She crowed of pleasure and took her turn but this time they both rolled off the bed and landed on the ground.

"Aarrgh" Kero growled when his back hit the floor with a heavy thump but he laughed when she landed on top of him.

"Sorry" she apologized adding a laugh afterwards.

She helped him to get up and a few seconds later she was lying next to him on the bed which was actually made for one Mantrin body.

"I should arrange for a bigger bed" Kero chuckled.

"You know, I'm glad you were with me down there. I had a few close calls."

Stith scoffed.

"Well, I had a few close ones myself too remember?"

She wrapped her left arm around him and placed her head on his barrel chest, listening to the sound of his breathing and feeling his warm breath tickling her ears. She snuggled up to him never to let go again and purred softly. She heard him do the same after which he caressed her ears and cheek.

"You're so sweet" she said after which the purring continued.

"Akima once told me that she thinks you're cute too."

"Hmm, I'll take that as a complement."

"Promise me that we will go through all of this together."

"I promise Stith. I love you, and I don't wanna lose you and if we die, we die together. May our honor inspire others to continue the fight."

His remark made her remember that he wanted to use the mission to regain his honor. Now that it failed, she understood why he was so sad that it didn't turn out the way they wanted.

"I'm so sorry that you still haven't regained you honor."

"Don't worry Stith. I've got the feeling that that's still to come. Kirliya has only one final test for me to endure."


	43. Chapter 41 Last Call

**Last Call**

"Captain's log, USS _Houston_, date… February 9th 3044. We've just finished our normal patrol duty and with nothing of any significance to report we returning to New Earth. The crew is tired and eager for shore leave. To be honest, I can't say I blame them. After hours of watching for any suspicious movements from potentially hostile vessels and in the mean time mapping solar systems, nebulas and other spatial phenomena for day after day we're all eager to be relieved. At first I was happy with the prospect of returning home in two days but the current situation in the Alpha Quadrant has changed that. The USS _Discovery_ will continue our work here while the _Houston _will most likely be refitted for combat in order to join the front lines of this growing conflict. Exploration and peaceful coexistence have always been the primary goals of the Federation but there are times when we need to bare our teeth."

Captain Ian Fredrickson was sitting behind his desk in his ready room, making his log recording together with all the additional paperwork. Being the Captain of a starship wasn´t always about making new discoveries and making first contact with new species, it also had it´s less enjoyable sides. Everything had to be carefully logged, documented and filed to expand the always growing database of the entire Federation. To make not only yourself but also others benefit from your discoveries is one of the greatest ambitions of an explorer and Captain Fredrickson wanted to make sure they could.

"Computer safe log recording."

The computer confirmed and Ian stood up from his chair taking a small walk through his ready room with a cup of hot coffee in his hand. He took a small sip, noticing it was still too hot to drink and continued to warm his hands to the exterior of the cup. He stepped up towards the broad window gazing out at the stars passing by at warp. They had mapped quite a few sectors of space and their course had taken them quite a big distance from the Andali system. He woke up from his thinking when the deck trembled and hot coffee spilled over his hand. Shortly after the moment of impact, red alert status automatically engaged to prepare the ship for battle.

"Aaahh!" Ian brought out putting the cup down on his deck and shaking his aching hand.

He pressed his combadge with his other one in the mean time.

"Fredrickson to the bridge report!"

"Captain you better come down here. We're under attack."

"I'll be there in a second" Ian replied walking out of his ready room while another energy blast struck the aft shields.

The cup he had left on his desk approached the edge until it fell off and hit the deck, spilling the brown liquid all over the carpet. Ian didn't even notice as he had already settled himself into the center chair of the _Houston_'s command center.

"Reinforce the aft shields and prepare to drop out of warp" Ian ordered when several Machine Dominion vessels approached the _Houston_ from behind.

Another hit made him grab the armrests of his chair. Sparks erupted from a conduit in the ceiling and monitors flickered for a moment.

"Now!"

The Nebula class starship dropped out of warp with shields and weapons charged. However the ship was outfitted with an extra sensor pod for its current mission not really making it effective in a fight. But Ian was an experienced Captain and his ship and crew had the tendency to be very flexible. Now they had to put it to the test as Machine ships dropped out of warp surrounding the starship from all sides and immediately began attacking her with lasers, pulse cannons and other energy weapons.

"Engage the enemy at once, attack pattern beta 2, fire all phasers!"

His crew did exactly as he said, keeping strong shields towards the enemy and using the ships wide firing arcs to fire long streaks of phaser-fire at the enemy ships. When their shields collapsed the orange-colored particle beams cut through hulls, destroying everything underneath, turning the _Houston_'s foes into nothing but debris. But the enemy ships were fast and although not capable of doing much damage on their own, in groups they could be devastating.

"Divert more power to shields!" Ian yelled when explosions ruined his bridge and injured his crew.

"It's of no use Captain, they're breaking through!"

"Hull breach on decks five through eight! Emergency forcefields are holding!"

That was the last report the man was ever going to make. The console exploded right into his face with so much force that he was tossed out of his chair. His head hit the console behind him breaking his neck. His motionless body dropped to the floor with a thump that was barely audible above the destruction all around the ship. Damage reports were coming in from all decks as well as casualty reports and requests for aid and an announcement from the chief engineer that they had to evacuate main engineering because of a plasma leak.

"Send a message through to New Earth! Tell them that they're coming!"

Ian rushed towards the console of his operations officer when a support beam from the ceiling came down which would have crushed his body if he wouldn't have left the Captain's chair. Knowing that he had very little time left before these relentless Machines would destroy his ship he diverted all power from weapons to the main deflector and sent a message through over the emergency channel, hoping it would get through.

"This is Captain Ian Fredrickson of the starship _Houston_. We're under attack! They're coming! A fleet of unknown size is… Oh my…"

Ian couldn't finish the last sentence of the message when the largest and most frightening vessel he had ever seen appeared on his cracked and flickering viewscreen. Eight huge arms connected to a central structure which more or less held the shape of a half sphere with all kinds of extensions on top of it. Being much bigger than a Borg cube, this terrifying creation was now moving towards his crippled vessel. There was no means of escape and he knew it. Ian Fredrickson saw his life pass by as the weapon arrays on the two arms closest to his ship charged to full power and opened fire. A storm of hundreds of beams and pulses broke through the weakened shields and through the hull. The antimatter explosion seemed small in comparison to the vessel which had triggered its detonation. As soon as the potential threat had been eliminated, the ships that had dropped to sublight speeds rejoined the rest of their fleet traveling at warp.

"_Target neutralized. Planet of species called humans located at distance of three point four lightyears. Primary target recognized. Prepare for complete annihilation…"_

If he had known what was expected from him when he took the job of Supreme Chancellor, Christopher Laroc might have reconsidered. Not only was the Senate building filled with representatives again for the third time in such a short period of time, also this time it was an emergency meeting. It was early in the evening and the sky was already beginning to darken when a cool breeze blew away some of the tension inside the partially open Senate building. The distress call from the USS _Houston_ had reached Earth ahead of the Machines and had struck fear into the hearts of the people of Earth and their allies. The human homeworld had been spared in the random attacks that had only been a diversion from the real target. The reason was clear as Earth had become the center of the Alliance, uniting several species together which if they fought together would be capable of resisting the Machines.

Chris didn't forget what happened the last time when he stood here, in the middle of these angry wolves after the last attacks. Colonies were wiped off the star charts, worlds were attacked without warning and millions have lost their lives. But now, fear cut across the faces of the ambassadors, military flag officers and other representatives of the ten worlds of the Republic when Captain Ian Fredrickson's message bellowed through the Senate. It was the last thing they ever heard of him and with no specific details about the approaching force; it was difficult to assess the situation. Chris knew it was wrong to take advantage of the fear of the crowd but he was already out of options before he had begun this meeting so he tried it this way, in the hope he could gain enough support for the upcoming battle. Trying to keep his voice as calm as possible he began to speak.

"I now ask for your help. The people of Earth are thoroughly grateful for everything you have done for us. Despite the lack of means to do it, we did everything we could to defend the worlds of the Republic."

A few people in different rows muttered indistinctively, most likely complaining about the incidents that took place. With the limited number of available ships, defending so many positions was a tough job and they couldn't have done it without Starfleet's support. The fact that the Federation was founded on Earth in the other universe made it easier for them to support humanity in another but the aliens were a different story. Some of them still had their doubts.

"As you all know, an enemy fleet of unknown size is on its way to Earth. Without your help, they will obliterate our newly found world, kill every last member of our race and make sure that humanity will be lost forever. And they will not stop after they've taken Earth. Other worlds will eventually fall prey to their attacks until they become a force too strong to compete with."

Chris paused, took a deep breath and tried to make eye contact with everyone in the hall.

"Please help us, so we can continue our relationships in the future and end this conflict once and for all."

It remained awfully silent for a moment. Chris' heart was beating so fast as if it was trying to break through his chest. He could feel the sweat pouring down his body just like last time. Everything now depended on this final decision of the Senate if the alliance would continue to exist or end in next few moments. Chris swallowed, his mouth dryer than the deserts of Akrennia when he watched a Vusstran ambassador stand up from his seat.

"The cooperation between Vusstra and Earth has lasted for so many cycles. We can think of no reason why it should end now. A fleet of our cruisers is on its way to help fortify your position."

"Thank you ambassador" Chris brought out with a sigh of relief.

After the Vusstran ambassador one of the fox-like Indarian representatives stood up and bared his sharp canine teeth.

"Because both the Federation and the Republic did everything they could to forge this alliance and defend the Indarian Dynasty, we will now offer you our assistance."

The Indarian placed his fist on his furry chest and let out a growl of respect.

"We will not forget what happened at Xirosa!" a member of the Akrennian delegation brought out.

"We will fight for your world if it were our own!"

After even the Akrennians pledged their allegiance, the Mantrins of course couldn't stay behind. Ambassador Jy'sen who had stayed on Earth to represent the will of the Empire rose up on his massive legs. His heavy voice reached every corner of the hall with ease.

"It is the will of the Emperor to continue the relationship between our two people! May Kirliya assist us and everyone who follows us in battle!"

One by one the remaining worlds of the Republic offered their support some of them even reporting that they had forces on route or would contact their authorities immediately. Now it was only hoping that they would arrive on time to reinforce the fleet already present in the system.

A few moments later Chris was sharing a glass again with a man he began to consider a friend. Michael Jericho was a friendly guy who could even come up with some fatherly advice now and then but he was also the type for a good conversation. Of course they shared a table in the _Lighthouse_ again both of them not willing to think that they might never see each other again after this was over. The vertical city called the _Heliopolis_ was finally nearing completion. Due to the Machine threat, building suitable homes for the human refugees had become a lower priority and the rebuilding of Earth's military might had become one of the highest. A logical decision although not the most practical one since two or sometimes more families were forced to share one apartment until more space became available. But considering they had survived the last fifteen years in space in nothing more but bunched together spaceship wreckage it wasn't such a problem. Now with the Internal Computer System or ICS online, recreational facilities including the holodecks operational and enough living space for its inhabitants the city was growing beyond their wildest dreams. It were however the last things they were thinking about at the moment.

"Almost time for you to go isn't it?" Chris asked when Jericho checked the chrono build in his wristcom..

The _Arcadia_ had received emergency repairs the moment she re-entered space dock and going up now would give Jericho a bit of extra time to make sure all systems were running according to specifications before the Machines would get here. In the time between the battle at Xirosa and now, six more Republican ships were ready to leave space dock and Jericho had to be ready to take command of the Republican fleet.

"Yes it is" Jericho replied rather calm.

He emptied his glass and made his preparations to leave.

"Do you think you can do this?" Chris asked.

Michael looked at the younger man for a moment, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"You did a great job gathering all forces of the Republic together Chris, now let me do mine."

He sounded pretty confident and Michael was almost surprised by his own confidence. The people of Earth and indirectly the inhabitants of a dozen other worlds were relying on him. He stood up from his chair and patted Chris on the shoulder.

"These are the times that try men's souls. I'll see you again after this, at this very table. Goodbye Chris."

He left the bar leaving Chris behind in silence. Chris could only hope that the man would be able to keep his word.

"Captain on the bridge!" his First Officer announced.

"At ease" Michael replied taking his seat.

Repairs to the _Arcadia_ were complete and with only a few minor system calibrations ahead he decided to take the lead and maneuver the fleet into a defense position.

"Incoming transmission from space station _Atlas_ Captain."

"On screen."

Jericho stood up, smoothed the wrinkles out of his navy blue uniform and straightened his back. The face of the Commander in Chief of the Republican forces appeared on screen. He was standing into the massive strategy center of the station from where they could coordinate their attack, launch and control additional squadrons of _Dominator_ attack fighters from the station's hangars and control the numerous fixed point defenses placed at key positions around the planet. Torpedo and cannon turrets would be able to catch a large number of enemy ships before they would be able to coordinate their fleet for the final assault.

"Admiral" Jericho greeted him with a nod.

"Are you ready Captain?" the man asked.

"I'm always ready for duty Admiral. My ship and crew are standing by to receive orders."

"Your orders are simple Michael. Build up a blockade and do whatever it takes to prevent the enemy ships from getting into firing range of the planet. We will keep those turrets firing and provide _Dominator_ support where we can. Good luck Captain. _Atlas_ out."

_**Authors note: Music track 28.**_

"Captain we've received the green light from the station. We're ready to leave space dock on your orders."

Without hesitation Michael relayed the order.

"All hands this is the Captain. Prepare to move out. Helm, release the docking clamps and take us out into the open."

With heavy clangs the large pressurized dock clamps retracted from the ships six primary docking ports releasing her into space. Primary sublight propulsion systems were brought online and pushed the massive command carrier out of space dock. Her Captain ordering her to take position inside the blockade already partially formed by Federation starships and stationary defenses at a relatively safe distance from the planet. Almost at the same time as the _Arcadia_, the already operational ships of the Republican fleet untied themselves from their orbital holding areas. A total of five cruisers and three interceptors joined the _Arcadia_ in the blockade backed up by the two newly commissioned carriers of the _Atlantis_ class which in total held a total of six-hundred _Dominator_ attack craft.

A small moment after that, it became clear that Chris clearly did his job and that the alien ambassadors and representatives kept word. Small fleets of ships warped in from all directions and while not much on their own, together they were beginning to form a blockade that the Machines would have a hard time on breaking it. From fast attack vessels to larger battlecruisers, nearly every type of ship was represented into this hastily brought together fleet but what was different from last time they had fought together was that the other species had made progress with their fighter escorts. A few carriers of different species began releasing their craft into space and according to sensors they weren't operated by a pilot. Although the design was different, they shared some resemblance with the Republican _Dominator_s and it put Jericho's mind at ease to see such a large number of vessels coming together to defend Earth. Now it was just a wait until the enemy showed up.

Approximately twenty-nine minutes from Earth and seventeen behind their enemy while still catching up, the Imperial warship _Son of the Empire_ flanked by the Federation starship _Highlander_ lead a fleet of Mantrin warships through deep space at highest possible warp, this time with her Captain by rank in command.

"It feels good to be in command again" Kero thought staring at the viewscreen in front of him showing only the vast nothingness in front of the ship.

Being slightly faster than the Machine Dominion fleet, they were slowly catching up with them while covering the distance between Aridanis and New Earth, but it wasn't enough for them to reach New Earth before they did. When he looked around the bridge, he had his best officers behind the consoles for this shift. Rilas had insisted on being his First Officer for the upcoming battle so after only six hours of sleep the Sogowan Commander was on the bridge again, fit for duty as he would have expected from him. And with Naea behind the helm, Stith as his tactical officer and with the might of the Imperial Fleet behind him he was having confidence in the situation despite the immense size of the enemy's force and their command vessel.

_**Authors note: Music track 29.**_

Jason Pierce, in command of the ship cruising next to Kero's felt a bit uneasy about the situation. They had passed by Starbase _Titan_ a while ago and there was still no sign from the reinforcements he had requested. Or maybe they couldn't spare any because of the desperate situation in the Alpha Quadrant.

"Ensign what's our ETA?"

"Twenty-six minutes Captain. However the Machines will reach New Earth in approximately ten minutes.

"I hope they received our message and their defenses are up" Jason replied rubbing the short beard he hadn't shaved off for two days now.

But he had more pressing things for concern than his appearance. Still no signs of those reinforcements yet and they were closing in on New Earth.

"C'mon John, you know I can't do it without you, you never let me down" he thought.

But maybe he was just too quick with jumping to conclusions. Just as he wanted to ask for another status his ops. officer received an incoming transmission. He rerouted it immediately to the viewscreen as he knew his Captain had been eagerly waiting for this.

"Captain Pierce. I hope it isn't too late for us to join."

Jason let out a sigh of relief in his mind as his tactical officer reported a Sovereign class vessel of the port bow.

"Arthur, you're a sight for sore eyes. Who else have you brought with you?"

Captain Wallace couldn't resist to chuckle and smiled.

"You're never gonna believe it. Admiral Cunnington actually managed to pull seventeen ships out of the fight back home and reinforce our position. He told Command something about, losing our foothold into the region and humanity on the verge of becoming extinct and that did it. The _Shenandoah_ was already stationed here and I was about to undock from the starbase again when your transmission came through. The Admiral did everything he could and before I knew it my ship received an extra supply of torpedoes and spare parts and my orders were changed to join the fleet and eventually you if we happened to run into you."

A faint smile appeared on Pierce's face but in his thoughts he was celebrating.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down John" he muttered indistinctively.

"Well he did one hell of job and just in the nick of time."

"Well you did quite a job yourself. Made some new friends along the way?"

"Well I happen to know a guy who turned out to be a Prince of the Mantrin Empire who is also…"

Arthur had to laugh breaking off Pierce' sentence.

"You always happen to meet the right person, don't you Jason? Well I'd love to hear more about it but we have a battle ahead and it's our duty to make sure it ends into the favor of the worlds of this quadrant. Any tactics you might want to share with us? I expect that the Mantrin Commander has already come up with a plan."

"Not that I know off but I think you can assume that the enemy doesn't expect an attack from behind. We just need to keep them from attacking the planet."

"Understood" Arthur replied.

"Good luck Captain."

"You too Arthur. Pierce out."

At a steady speed the Imperial assault fleet reinforced by the Starfleet taskforce composed of several Federation vessels build for combat was cruising towards Earth preparing for the final battle, the battle for New Earth.

Captain Michael Jericho was waiting for something to point his guns at. This is the part he hated the most. The waiting. The calm before the storm. Small fleets composed of several ships from different world within the borders of the Republic capable of delivering a fight had gathered with their forces and were waiting for something to put their teeth in. Michael was having a déjà vu and it brought him back to fifteen years ago. Fifteen years ago on that day, the day the Drej mothership had been spotted, on route for Earth leaving a path of destruction within its wake. Colonies and outposts wiped off the star charts. Other species, allied to Earth who stood in their way, attacked and massacred. As an officer in the Earth Human Corps, he had witnessed the destruction, the killing from up close. The news that a fleet of Machine warships was on their way to repeat the Drej massacre had brought fear to all worlds within the quadrant and especially to Earth, since that was now the next target on the list of these mechanical monsters. Waiting time was over as scanners went wild and one of his officers alerted his fellow crew that the enemy had arrived.

"I've got contact sir. Repeat, I have enemy contact on the edge of the system, dropping out of warp and closing fast."

"Put it on screen" Jericho ordered.

His fear became reality as dozens upon dozens of vessels dropped out of warp, the flashes created by their re-entering of normal space a stroboscope of light.

"How many?" he asked fearing the answer but not showing it to his crew.

"I'm reading three-hundred eighty… No, four-hundred twenty… Sir they just keep coming."

Not only was space in front of their blockade filled with ships. The carriers among the enemy fleet began launching their squadrons to fill in the gaps between their ships with swarming attack fighters but the real shock came to the Captains of the alliance fleet when the Machine command vessel dropped out of warp and assumed position behind their fleet. In an instant, Jericho knew that the Artificial Intelligence, the heart of the Machine Dominion was personally commanding its forces on the battlefield and to annihilate Earth. It was huge, even bigger than the Drej mothership had been and much more heavily armed. The eight arms connected to the central superstructure were overloaded with blistering weaponry, rows upon rows of turrets charged and ready to fire, missile and torpedo tubes loaded with deadly projectiles and overlapping shields protecting the installations with an almost impenetrable barrier of energy. In a cold sweat, he watched how this massive vessel moved into position behind the rest of their forces and how the entire fleet began to move in unison towards their blockade, one big wall of moving metal, just as how the Akrennians had described the attack on Xirosa. Strength in numbers, that was the Machine Dominion's tactic and with this well-interpreted strategy in mind they began on their assault on Earth.

Captain Gregory Halloway stood up from his chair on the command deck of his ship. The USS _Capella_ was an Europa class starship, the fourth and final refit of the well-proved Galaxy class design. While originally designed as an explorer, the Galaxy class received many upgrades and refits until that eventually manifested itself into the Galaxy class dreadnought and later the Europa class. It fought just as well as it was capable of deep space exploratory missions but this time the first thing was important. Now a capable warship, Captain Halloway and the _Capella_ had seen many battles. The Dominion, the Borg, he had faced many of them and defeated many of them but the sudden appearance of this massive command ship, this island of destruction had even caused him to stand up from his chair in astonishment.

"Holy mother…" he brought out.

"Sir weapons are charged and torpedo bays are loaded" his tactical officer replied.

"Shall I contact the rest of the fleet sir?"

As an older experienced Starfleet Captain, Greg managed to restore himself from his partial moment of pure amazement and ordered the man to do so. After all, he was in command of the fleet since Admiral Cunnington, the man in charge of all operations and battles in the quadrant had been unable to attend and command the Federation forces. He had heard words of a Federation reinforcement fleet on its way to New Earth but apparently they couldn't get here in time so this task was now resting on his shoulders.

"Do it."

"Channel open sir."

"This is Captain Gregory Halloway of the _Capella_ to all Starfleet vessels. Your orders are to stay in formation and prevent the enemy forces from entering range of the planet. Try to deal as much damage as you can."

His orders were met with confirmation from all ships and he kept com. channels open between all Starfleet vessels and the supporting forces of the Republic. The only chance they had in making it was to maintain the blockade. But the moment the first shot was fired from one of the outer point defense installations, disorder began to threaten their forces.

The enemy fleet entered range of the system's outer defenses and the fight for Earth started when a storm of pulse laser fire left the muzzles of the dual barreled fixed point defense turrets designed to deliver massive firepower at medium range. The crews of the allied fleet's ships watched as the destructive energy from their own weapons clashed with shields, perforated hulls and lighted up the enemy's forces like a Christmas tree. Space between the two battling fleets filled itself with explosions and debris as turrets opened fire at the hundreds, possibly thousands of targets to pick. It was this image that appeared on the viewscreen of the _Arcadia_ and all the other ships trying to defend Earth. The enemy pressed its forces hard, forcing them through the outer defense perimeter to attack the fleet.

"Enemy fighters are on an intercept course Captain" one of Michael's officer reported when the last point defense turret exploded under the fire of a dozen enemy warships.

Those things weren't designed to withstand that kind punishment but together they had managed to disable quite a few of the enemy fighters. It was however far from enough to be of actual help.

"Send in a few squadrons of _Dominator_s to intercept them."

At the press of a button, the robotic Republican superiority fighters changed course and pushed their engines to full power as their AI calculated the best angle of attack. Supported by the _Arcadia_ and several other ship's long-range weaponry the fighters would be able to stand a chance on their own. But the real threat came from several heavy cruisers that launched their assault on the fleet. The _Arcadia_ suddenly trembled heavily, a shower of sparks came down from the ceiling and screens flickered when a torpedo hit the forward shields.

"Report!" Jericho yelled clamping the armrests of his chair.

"Shockwave torpedoes!" his tactical officer replied reviewing the incoming sensor data.

If their shields hadn't been up, the forward section would have been a nice little blowhole.

"Shields are down to seventy-eight percent!"

"Divert more power to shields and blast those cruisers back to wherever they came from" Michael ordered.

The bright white torpedo weapons left the enemy vessels' launch tubes one of them hitting a D'amaran attack ship. The weapon slammed right through the weakened front shields and sheared off the starboard bow, releasing the ship's atmosphere and its crew into space.

"No" Jericho whispered in powerless anger between clenched teeth.

Unable to chance course the ship was about to collide with one of the enemy ship's but before her Captain could perform his last sacrificial attack, a powerful blast of laser artillery tore through her hull from fore to aft. The main reactor exploded, tearing the remains of the hull apart, the pieces of debris colliding with shields before they could do any real damage. This single hit was the first of many when the enemy mothership began launching devastating long-range attacks with pinpoint accuracy. The _Arcadia_ trembled heavily and again and again when the platform's high-powered cannons fired through openings in their own forces, sometimes missing their own ships by a few meters.

"Shields are at seventy-three percent! Sixty-five! Sir our shields are rapidly losing integrity!"

Of course he knew but there was just nothing they could do for now except keeping the turrets firing. Their own forces were starting to take damage and they were losing ships faster than expected. Not only the magnitude of their force but the devastating long-range firepower of the mothership made the enemy fleet a very difficult to defeat enemy. There was practically nothing they could do to stop this.

"This is the _Atlas_ space station, we're taking damage here, you've gotta defend us!"

"This is Captain Jericho of the _Arcadia_ we're getting hammered ourselves!"

When he looked at the screen in front of the bridge, flickering because of constant hammering of laser fire on the weakening forward shielding, he noticed they were starting to lose ground. Some of the ships had taken considerable damage and were actually unable to continue the fight. Dying in honor on the battlefield was a wish of some Captain's as a selected few of them actually brought their battered ship up to ramming speed.

A Vusstran cruiser was forced to launch escape pods as her disabled propulsion system only brought her closer to death. In an attempt to save the crew a Federation ship moved in closer to bring some of the escape pods to safety but that meant having to drop shields for a short period. The saucer of the Federation vessel took a direct hit when a laser blast penetrated the hull. A crackling forcefield appeared in the place of the piece that had been ripped out forcing her Captain to seize his or her attempts to offer a helping hand. The enemy was planning to turn its attack into a massacre. A massive explosion on the bridge snapped Jericho back to his own ship. They enemy got one of their shockwave torpedoes through. One of his crewmembers sailed through the air landing on his back on the deckplating with third-degree burns all over his body. Smoke filled the bridge when fires started on various places and sparks showered down on the deck.

"Jericho to sickbay, medical emergency!" he yelled standing up and rushing to the man's aid.

"Full reverse! Back us off!" he yelled when he sunk on his knees next to the groaning officer.

Blood trickled down the man's face and his mouth when he started to cough.

"Stay with me!"

"Sir… It… Was… An… Honor…" he brought out between his last shrieking breaths before his head felt to the side.

Another explosion was needed to tear Jericho from his short moment of paralyzation back to reality. The man was dead and he and the rest of his crew soon would be too if help didn't arrive soon. When Michael looked around, the only thing he saw was the destruction all over the bridge, the explosions on the viewscreen and the masks of fear that made up the faces of his officers. Those faces were telling him something. They were telling him to get out of here but he didn't know how. It was that single moment that he realized something had gone terribly wrong and as things were looking now, they were only trying to delay the inevitable.

"Sir, the _Arcadia_'s shields are failing and the Captain of the USS _Columbia_ is reporting a warp core breach in progress. They are forced to abandon ship."

Captain Halloway affirmed with a nod when he grabbed the armrests of the Captain's chair in a response to another hit. The _Capella_ was moving across the ranks to provide cover for retreating ships and escape pods on course for the planet. It was a desperate undertaking. The enemy even targeted the helpless little escape pods when they got the chance. Destined to destroy all life, even unarmed lifeboats couldn't get away from their vicious claws. Greg bit his teeth in order to hold back the urge to curse in his powerlessness. With most of the fleet in retreat and a considerable amount of enemy ships still pushing for the planet, it was a desperate undertaking. They had lost most of their _Dominator_s against the endless waves of attack fighters they just kept sending and his tactical officer was about to bring more bad news. The _Capella_ itself had taken quite a substantial amount of damage and wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.

"Sir, sensors are picking up multiple new contacts on route for the system, they'll be here in two minutes!" Another console exploded cutting the man off but Greg had already heard enough.

"More enemies?"

"I can't tell Captain, the enemy is still blocking our scans."

If the enemy had more reinforcements coming they were definitely forced to evacuate the system. Things were already looking desperate and a second wave of enemy ships would be enough to finish off the last of their remaining forces. But Gregory was thinking of another possibility, one that might be able to turn the tide in this battle, assuming they arrived on time. They were losing terrain and it wouldn't take long now for the enemy to be able to point its guns at the planet's surface.

"C'mon Jason, I know you're there."

At only a minute from Earth, Jason Pierce was preparing himself and his ship for the final battle. Admiral Cunnington himself had been aboard one of the ships currently traveling with them and had allowed him to coordinate their attack with Captain Kero and the Mantrin assault fleet. The _Highlander_ had already been brought to red alert status, weapons were charged and shields raised to full. The plan was to skip normal procedures and drop out of warp as close to Earth as possible to launch a devastating assault in the back of the enemy fleet with the mothership in particular. If they could destroy that monstrous ship, there was a pretty big chance that their entire fleet and the rest of their forces in the quadrant would cease to function.

"Sir, Admiral Cunnington is hailing us again."

"You know what to do Lieutenant" he replied.

John Cunnington's face appeared on the viewscreen. Traveling aboard his flagship, the USS _Independence_ he was going to provide support to the rest of the fleet and the forces still holding up in the system with squadrons of modified Peregrine class attack fighters. These light Federation attack ships had been equipped with the latest in computer systems to allow them to operate in the same way as the Republican _Dominator_ superiority fighter. Two Federation carriers traveling among the fleet carried a total of four-hundred of these ships, armed with phasers and micro-photon torpedoes they really packed a punch on their own, but in groups they could be devastating.

"Are you ready Captain?"

"At your discretion Admiral" Jason replied ready to do whatever it took to keep New Earth from being destroyed.

Cunnington smiled.

"The carriers will drop out of warp a little earlier to allow them to launch their craft; they will support your forces wherever necessary. Prepare to drop out of warp and attack. We'll follow you. Cunnington out."

"Signal Captain Korso. We're gonna release him as soon as we drop out of warp."

"Understood Captain and good luck" Korso replied when he got the order.

"Good luck to you too, try not wander off on your own, you'll make an easy target."

"Understood Korso out."

He pressed the button to end the transmission and turned his back towards the window to face his crew. They were all standing on the upper deck, staring at him like they were expecting a speech of some kind. Korso took a deep breath and tried to come up with something so say before the fight. It proved to be harder than he thought at first but to see those faces, showing courage, determination but also clearly fear sparked his creativity. He took a deep breath.

"I know I've been working together with some of you for only a short period of time. But you are still my crew and as the Captain of this ship, it is my responsibility to take that crew home, no matter what it takes. Today I may not able to keep that promise but if we are going to save our world or die trying… let's just make sure that no one ever forgets the name _Valkyrie_!"

Smiles appeared on the faces of his crew, ready to carry out his orders and prepare for a fight till the death.

"Let's do this!" Akima yelled encouraging the others.

"Yeah!"

Fists hit the sky and Korso nodded in approval.

"All right! What are you waiting for?! Stations everyone!"

"Aye Captain" Brian replied taking his place behind the middle console on the upper deck.

Korso took his place in the Captain's chair in front of the massive bubble-shaped window waiting to be released by the _Highlander_, aware that the release could be the beginning of the end.

Seconds away from battle and Kero was still a bit unsure about the whole situation. The enemy had slipped through his fingers at the last moment and he had no insurance that they couldn't do it a second time. A fast attack from behind in order to cripple the enemy command ship and finish her off was the plan but something told him it wasn't going to be that easy. He was going to coordinate the attack with Jason who would lead the Federation fleet into battle supported by a Starfleet Admiral controlling squadrons of attack fighters. According to Ma'zan, the fourth assault fleet received an upgrade in the form of a carrier holding a hundred-and-fifty of the new Chi'la class attack fighters. They were still in R and D but it was proving to be successful as their equivalent of the _Dominator_. It was better than nothing and they were going to provide support as well.

"Sir the _Volari_ is hailing us, it's Captain Ma'zan."

"On screen."

Ma'zan's face promised nothing but death to his enemies and looked like he was ready to tear them apart with his bare hands. The Sogowan Captain had always been running a tight ship and his crew never disobeyed his orders, something that would be unwise to do.

"Fight with honor Kero and we will prevail" he greeted him with his strong voice.

"You heard him!" Kero roared rising to his feet.

"Just shoot 'em up! Got it sir!" Stith replied following his example.

Kero laid his ears in his neck and a warcry bellowed over the bridge. Repeated by his entire crew and the crews of all the other Imperial vessels in the fleet over the open com. channel, the sound of hundreds of roaring Mantrin warriors was enough to make Kirliya The Enlightened turn her attention to what happened here. The biggest battle since the last great war, and an oath to what they were, warriors in heart and soul.


	44. Chapter 42 The Sacrifice

**The Sacrifice**

"They've broken through our defense perimeter!"

"Captain, our shields are failing!"

The _Arcadia _was a complete mess of failing systems and dying crewmembers. The enemy forces moved in closer and closer and the Republican fleet was unable to hold position and fight back. Aboard his crippled vessel, Captain Michael Jericho watched the terrifying enemy command ship moving closer to the new human homeworld, her weapon arrays trying to blow away the remains of his ship. The Republican command ship had taken heavy damage, hull breaches on several decks, weapons offline, engines offline. With casualty reports flowing in from all decks Jericho did everything he could to keep his remaining crew alive but with the ship falling apart around him, he was having a tough time to accomplish this.

"Another hull breach, decks three to five!"

"Those long range attacks are tearing us apart" Jericho thought putting out the fires caused by the attack.

Smoke filled the bridge, the damaged life-support systems unable to filter it out. The enemy ships kept at a distance from the dying _Arcadia_ but their command ship had started launching missiles to finish off the crippled remains of their fleet. Without shields to protect them they hit directly onto the hull blowing craters as big as three decks high into the vessel.

"Our shields have failed sir, I'm sorry."

Jericho's tactical officer let himself fall down into his chair, bitter defeat dripping from his smudged face. But the thing he noticed was that it was suddenly quiet. Except from the screams of wounded, main engineering yelling over the com. system that they couldn't take many more hits and the frequent rains of sparks blowing from the collapsed ceiling it was silent. The enemy had stopped shooting at them and that could only mean one thing. Drones.

"Captain! I'm reading multiple transporter signatures all over the ship!"

Something in the voice of his First Officer told him that he already knew what his Captain knew as well. Seconds after the announcement, spinner drones began to materialize on every deck, including the bridge, ready to take the lives of the remaining crewmembers in a most horrific way.

"Shoot them!" Jericho shouted in a last act of despair.

"Are those transport scramblers still online?!"

"I'm sorry sir."

The members of his crew that were still able to fight back grabbed their blasters and aimed for the signatures, ready to blast them out of the sky them as soon as they'd taken solid form. The terrified crew of the _Arcadia_ aimed at the materializing drones with their stomach in their throat and their heart pounding in their ears as the Machines transported to the ship. The moment the clang sound of the extending blades reached their ears they pulled the trigger. Pulses of energy whined through the air hitting their targets followed by an explosion and pieces of sharp flying debris. However the AI was a quick leaner and the next wave of three more drones were already spinning and on the move as soon as they materialized. In a lightning fast reflex Michael dove to the ground, the drone materializing in front of him flying so close over his head that his hair was a few millimeters shorter than before. One of his officers was less fortunate and the drone that targeted him dove under his shot and aimed for his leg. A horrified scream bellowed over the bridge when the Machine chopped off his left leg, blood spraying over the deckplating when he collapsed. Jericho cursed and rolled on his back, his shots taking out the drone that seemed to have replaced his hairdresser. He watched how the thing spun out of control due to its defective anti-grav pad and drilled itself into a wall of monitors sending a shower of sparks down on him. It was of no use; they kept coming and wouldn't stop until the entire crew of the _Arcadia_ had been reduced to unrecognizable bloody pieces of meat. A sound produced by the tactical console he recognized as the sensors, that were miraculously still functioning, warned him about possible newcomers.

"Report!" he yelled not entirely convinced if anyone would be able to answer his call.

One of his officers scrambled to his feet, his arm bleeding heavily from a deep wound in his shoulder.

"I'm picking up several new contacts sir!" the man yelled, aiming his weapon to take out another drone that moved within range to attack.

"Sir! It's… It's the Federation, and a fleet of Mantrin warships! They're letting us know that we have to retreat! They're going directly for the enemy command ship."

"That's going to be a tough one with no engines" Jericho thought.

The _Arcadia_ was dead in the water and her crew was desperately trying to fight off the rather sharp boarding party. This could only end one way. But if they weren't fast enough, there was nothing left to save or for them to retreat to. The enemy fleet's direction remained unchanged and because the viewscreen was dead he couldn't follow the fight in real time.

"Keep shooting! We need to hold out just a little longer!" he ordered.

Right after that, in the single moment he wasn't paying attention, one of the drones picked him as its target. Jericho watched how his life flashed by when the drone aimed for his chest. Until something hot and hard as stone hit him in his face and blew him back against the bulkhead. The moment his head made contact with the metal wall he passed out while his motionless body hit the bloodied deck of the ship he captained.

"Are you ready Captains?" Jason asked preparing to jump into the fight.

He had both Kero and Korso simultaneously on the main viewer and both Captains were ready to die for the cause. If Earth felt, the Republic would be thrown into utter chaos and that was exactly what the AI was up to. They couldn't let that happen.

"Ready as I'll ever be Captain" Korso replied.

Kero smirked. As a Mantrin warrior he could sense the battlefield calling to him. Although he had been unsure for some time if he was really the fighter they expected him to be, the smell of victory and the adrenaline rushing through his veins erased all doubts about his origin. He _did_ have warrior's blood and he was certain of it.

"Let's make them pay" he encouraged his crew.

His remark was backed up by the roars of his crew. Jason smiled. They just had it in them. They had to win this battle and for a moment he felt almost certain that they would.

"All right, let's go! Helm, you know what to do. Drop out of warp as close to Earth as possible than fire everything we've got! We've gotta stop them! All hands standby for battle!"

One moment it looked like nothing was going to stop the Machines from obliterating Earth with their devastating assault. The mothership carrying the AI had taken some damage and one of the arms had lost its primary shield generator but it was like nothing to them. The ship was heavily flanked by warships and swarming attack ships that would turn everything that dared to come within range into a useless piece of junk. They had stopped attacking the disabled defenders as they were of no threat to them. The only thing between them and Earth were the orbiting space docks holding ships under construction in place and the _Atlas_ space station that prepared all of its defense turrets in a last desperate attempt to hold them off. The surviving ships of the initial fleet together with some fixed defense turrets added their firepower to the last line of defense. The Machines were focusing all of their efforts on this single installation and weren't expecting an attack from behind.

Warp flashes filled the Andali system when the Imperial Guard's fourth assault fleet and a Federation task force dropped out of warp. Their timing and distance to the target was perfect, with fewer than one million kilometers from center of the enemy command ship the fleet continued at maximum impulse and locked all weapons on target. The USS _Highlander_ opened its bay doors and released the _Valkyrie_ back into space, the crew of the Republican ship on full alert. Federation carriers began launching modified Peregrine class attack fighters and the massive Imperial carrier launched squadrons of the experimental Chi'la class fighter. The craft was agile, fast and armed with powerful dual pulse cannons and a jammer capable of deflecting missiles by screwing up their guidance systems. Unlike the _Dominator_ they couldn't be piloted manually yet but it could be an option in the future.

On the bridge of his ship, Captain Jason Pierce repeated the order to press forward and attack. All weapons were charged, torpedo bays loaded and together with the rest of the fleet ready to unleash a most destructive barrage no one could withstand.

"Let's give 'em everything we've got!" Jason yelled feeling the adrenaline being pumped through his bloodstream.

"Captain, part of the enemy fleet has broken off its assault on Earth and is taking position to defend the mothership. The rest is still moving towards the planet."

"Hold your course. We'll blast right through them if they decide to try and stop us."

Only five-hundred thousand kilometers to go and part of the enemy fleet composed of warships and most of all dozens upon dozens of attack fighters prepared to counteract their attempt at a swift strike. Their fleets were equal in terms of numbers thanks to the defensive systems that had turned a lot of the enemy ships to shreds but they all knew what kind of power the command ship carried. At four-hundred thousand kilometers and closing the enemy ships had charged their weapons and the shields of most ships were up at full strength. They certainly weren't planning on making this easy and Jason was planning on giving them a hard time too. Still closing at three-hundred thousand kilometers the enemy vessels locked weapons on the ships in their fleet and vice versa. In range of dozens of cannons, missiles, beam arrays and torpedoes it was just waiting on who fired the first shot. Two armada's of vessels and neither of them willing to give up, one side fighting to conquer and the other for peace facing each other, ready for battle. In the blink of an eye Jason ordered the fleet to take evasive actions when the first missile left its launch tube on the opposite side. After that one many more followed when all ships began to fire and left formation to begin attacking the opposers, disrupting their plan for total domination and the expanse of the Machine Dominion.

"Continue to press forward! All ships, evasive pattern delta four!"

The _Highlander_ took the lead flanked by the _Son of the Empire_. Kero ordered the Mantrin assault fleet to follow Jason's tactic and Naea responded flawlessly by steering the ship close to Jason's. The Federation Captain apparently had a plan. He did not but sticking to the current plan was essential so he ordered the Imperial fleet to stay in formation and blast as much as they could. Stith had been rubbing her hands the moment the remains of the enemy forces appeared on screen. No one would ever forget the first day they met Stith.

"Open fire! All batteries" Kero ordered.

"I'm on it sir" Stith replied.

Cannons fired their barrage and missiles left the _Son of the Empire's _launch tubes and all of the other Mantrin ships. The Federation ships fired their multi-targeting phaser arrays taking out attack fighters with a single blast. Peregrine class attack fighters and Chi'la superiority fighters began harassing warships firing from a larger distance and left them with only hard to hit targets to point their guns at. But the enemy wasn't the only one taking hits. The enemy command ship locked the rows of turrets and missile launch tubes from the two fore and aft arms on targets and the Machines started attacking in two directions, the Federation/Mantrin fleet the first one, the docks and the last line of defense in front of Earth the second one.

"We have 'em right where we want them" Korso said grabbing hold of his chair when another guided missile slammed into the starboard shields.

The blast was powerful enough to knock the smaller _Valkyrie_ slightly of course but Akima who was struggling with the controls quickly had them on the right path again.

"They keep hitting us with those missiles!" Akima snarled between clenched teeth.

She steered the _Valkyrie_ within the cover of a larger more heavily shielded warship which could take more hits. The _Valkyrie_ was fast and maneuverable enough to evade most of the shots herself but those missiles just homed in on their targets and it was difficult to evade them.

"You're doing fine Akima!" Korso yelled over the sound of another explosion when debris of an exploding fighter struck the shields.

"Shields down to eighty-three percent!" Derek reported in the mean time firing a torpedo volley to finish off one of the enemy warships in front of them.

The brightly glowing antimatter explosion took a few fighters, both friend and foe, but most of all foe with them.

They were only a couple of ten-thousand kilometers away from the prime target and the enemy vessels didn't succeed in stopping them. Most of the ships in the fleet had taken structural damage in some form but with shields still up and blazing weapons they kept blasting their way through the enemy lines but the most dangerous part was yet to come and about to begin. The thirty kilometer in diameter command ship had locked most of its turrets from the part considered the aft section at them. Any attempt to approach this floating monstrosity would be met by deadly force. And that was exactly what the enemy wanted. The last of their ships defending the moving space fortress moved aside opening a path for them but also a path for the mothership's turrets to fire.

"Pierce to all ships! Attack pattern Omega two! Fire everything you've got into the mid section and get away before it blows!"

Doing as he said, all vessels rapidly assumed a formation so that they could fire all of their weapons and get away at full impulse to outrun the explosion that would certainly prove to be massive. The amount of power generated by this superstructure was extra-ordinarily high and they could only wonder what kind of an energy source the Machines were using to power this thing. But the enemy didn't just let them attack. Rows of turrets opened fire and dozens of guided missiles and a couple of shockwave torpedoes left their launch tubes to rain down destruction on their fleet. With all power now diverted to the forward weapons array and the forward shields Jason was hoping to withstand their counterattack long enough to do enough damage and make it out before the whole thing blew. It was a considerable risk they were taking but there weren't many other options.

Dozens and dozens of projectile weapons and terawatts of volatile energy collided with the heavily shielded and armored mid-section of the super fortress. The shield bubble protecting this part lit up like a supernova covering up what was happening underneath it. Stith was firing all weapons of the massive Imperial warship at a single concentrated point. No other ship would have been able to withstand this but this massive vessel didn't bend so easily. Small explosions from blowing power conduits sounded all over the ship and a shower of sparks rained down from the ceiling when Kero had Naea turn the ship around. The forward shields were about to collapse under all the pressure. The rest of the fleet followed his maneuver, firing their lateral arrays as they turned to keep up the pressure on the enemy's shields. But when they stopped firing his eyes caught something that was practically impossible. His hearts were pounding in his ears when he tried to realize what just happened. They had fired everything they'd got, a combined fleet of the Imperial Guard's best warships and Federation warships and the enemy's shields didn't even dent. The hull underneath was still intact except for small breach directly underneath the angle where they fired which was now covered by a crackling forcefield.

"What?!" he brought out just astonished as the rest of his crew.

Captain Ma'zan appeared on the screen, his face twisted in rage. He let out a loud growl of frustration and stood up from his chair, his tail lashing in anger.

"How is this possible?!" he roared barely able to prevent letting his anger take control of him.

"They are using some kind of multi-layered shield system sir" Stith reported taking a look at her scanners.

It was a powerful shield system they used for the most vulnerable targets; two or more alternating shields working together to form an impenetrable layer of protection. And with the amount of power behind these shields it was of no use to keep firing. Ma'zan let out a few ugly curses and turned his head towards the screen with a tug.

"We'll fire again. We have just enough time to…"

An explosion on his bridge blew out the entire com. system and ended the transmission when a shockwave torpedo broke through the weakened shields and struck the hull with devastating force. An entire section was ripped out of this ship's body sending the _Volari_'s crew out into space to an instant death. Emergency bulkheads responded were forcefields failed to prevent the remaining atmosphere from escaping. The ship was send adrift by her own sudden loss of power, a gaping hole in her side.

"Captain?! Captain Ma'zan?!" Kero yelled although he kind of knew the Sogowan couldn't hear him.

The _Son of the Empire_ trembled heavily when high-powered laser artillery struck the shields with high precision. Another hit killed the lights for a fraction of a second and made him realize that this battle was far from over.

"Report!"

"Our weapons can't penetrate their shields! They're using some kind of multi-layered, regenerative shield system."

As a Starfleet Captain, Jason couldn't let anger cloud his judgment but these Machines were testing his patience. The ship trembled because of another missile and another more powerful hit knocked Jason off his feet. A console exploded and sparks rained down next to him when a shockwave torpedo hit the weakened shields.

"That was a shockwave torpedo!" his tactical officer yelled over the noise.

"We've gotta do something fast, the Machines are still on course for the planet and have began attacking the last of the defending forces! They'll be overrun if we do not respond Captain" Chrysta urged him.

_Tell me something I don't know_. The command ship was launching long-range hard to block missile attacks into the docks. These unarmed and poorly shielded structures couldn't take that kind of punishment and collapsed under the destructive force. A few small fixed point defense turrets were nowhere near powerful enough to stop their attack. The remaining Federation ships were leading a small force of defenders from other worlds into a last attack to hold off their advance but it was of no use. Missiles and laser blasts struck the docking installations holding ships under construction with devastating force, clearing a path for the mothership to open fire on the planet surface. As the docking installations exploded, the debris entered the atmosphere in the form of tiny patterns of falling stars. The people of New Earth watched this phenomenon with fear in every inch of their bodies knowing that the end was near. _If we can't take it out in one shot then we'll continue piece by piece. _

"_Highlander_ to all ships. Continue fire on the mothership and the remains of their fleet simultaneously. Look for any weakened spots in their defenses. One of the arms has lost its primary shield generator and looks like a good place to start. We cannot let them fire a shot at…"

Another explosion cut power for a fraction of a second and caused secondary explosions all over the ship. They had to do something fast or they wouldn't have anything left to attack with.

"We can't take many more hits like that sir!"

His officer coughed because of a cloud of smoke coming from the blown conduits. A gaseous substance leaked from a conduit embedded in the ceiling and sparks rained down on the deck when another laser blast struck the shields and penetrated the barrier protecting the ship.

"Hull breach, deck five! Emergency force fields are holding!"

"Continue attacking!" Jason ordered.

If they stopped now it would increase the enemy's chance to concentrate their fire on the planet.

As the attack continued, Korso had a little plan of himself. The _Valkyrie_ was much smaller and faster than the rest of the attacking ships and able to deliver precision strikes wherever needed. Maybe he could have Akima maneuver the ship under the weakened shields protecting the vulnerable arm of the enemy command ship so that Derek could disable the shields protecting this section completely. It was a risky maneuver as the enemy had multiple rows of turrets locked on them but Akima had already shown that she was an expert flyer and he was confident that she could do it. When he ordered her to execute his plan she acknowledged without hesitation, prepared to do anything necessary to protect Earth. She took the _Valkyrie_ into a maneuver so sudden that the inertial dampeners were having trouble compensating and caused the rest of the crew to grab hold of anything in order not to have a rather rough meeting with the deck.

"Holy cow, I didn't know this ship could do that" Korso muttered under his breath when Akima added a couple of tight turns to evade missiles and shots fired at her.

Korso watched the large ten kilometer long arm connected to the main structure grow larger and larger through the large bubble-shaped window, the tiny details on its surface becoming more and more clear. Unfortunately some of those 'details' locked their targeting sensors on them to take out the rapidly approaching vessel with a few precision shots. As the cannons fired their ordinance Akima dove under their shots and began her final approach to the secondary generator by diving under the shield and approaching her goal by steering the ship over the hull with only a few meters to spare. Her target was a small elevated piece of hull where the secondary shield generator was located. Taking out this structure would give the attacking warships the chance to destroy the entire section. The rest of the crew couldn't do much else but to sit tight and grind their teeth against the blows against the _Valkyrie_'s weakening shields. When Korso looked away from the hull of the command ship and from the massive spherical structure in front of him which housed the AI itself, space above was filled with the explosions of dying ships. They were losing attack fighters more rapidly than anticipated due to the enormous amounts of defensive batteries and several ships had lost too much of their shield strength to stay actively into the fight.

"We're being thinned out" he thought, a slight panic creeping into his mind.

As long as the shields of this monstrosity were still up, they couldn't do much more than tickle it. He turned his head away from a bright explosion that tore an Imperial warship apart, wondering how many lives that explosion cost. The ship trembled heavily. Because she had to stay low for her approach to work, Akima couldn't evade all the shots fired at her and took more hits because the very narrow margin she had, limited her maneuverability.

"C'mon Akima!" Korso yelled over the noise of secondary explosions within his ship.

"Just a few more meters!" she shouted back, fighting the controls to keep the ship on course.

"Shields are almost gone and I can't give you more power!" Cale yelled.

"Just fire those weapons and get out of here!"

"Not yet!" Akima yelled ordering Derek to hold his fire.

_C'mon old bird we've done this before!_ She was pushing the engines over their maximum but their shields were being drained faster than the distance between ship and target shrank. Which felt like ages to her were only seconds in reality. When her sensors finally gave her the green light she ordered Derek to pull the trigger. The man fired all of the _Valkyrie_'s forward weapons in a single concentrated burst at almost point blank range, completely draining their energy reserves and blowing out a few relais in the process. Akima yanked back on the controls, forcing the _Valkyrie_ up, away from the piece of hull that was about to be separated from the main structure by massive force. A full spread of torpedoes accompanied by a few powerful concentrated bursts of laser-fire covered the distance to the target in a fraction of a second, forcing their way through the armor protecting the outer hull and shredding everything inside. The secondary shielding protecting the ten kilometer long arm flickered and died and that of course didn't go unnoticed by the remaining Captains fighting for survival. Most ships of the enemy fleet had either been destroyed or incapacitated and the ones still fighting kept their distance and tried it with a long-range attack.

"The third starboard arm is vulnerable, concentrate your fire and we'll take it out!"

Jason didn't know if his order made any sense to them but he had to try. His own ship had taken considerable damage and he didn't know if she would be able to stand up to this punishment for long. Her left nacelle was venting plasma and overall shield strength was down to twenty-six percent. They had lost power on five decks and several pieces of hull had been replaced by forcefields. His bridge was mess with a few blown consoles, sparks showering down on the deck and steam venting from blown conduits. And the enemy just kept firing.

"Torpedoes loaded sir! Pulse phasers are inoperable and I can't get enough power to the weapons to keep the phasers firing."

"It'll have to do. Fire!"

The _Highlander_ and several other ships including the _Valkyrie_ and _Son of the Empire_ maneuvered into position to lock all forward weapons onto the target. With what little ships they still had fighting from the assault fleet and the defending forces on the side of the planet they fired everything they had at the connection between the arm and the central structure. The attack wasn't as powerful as the first one but because of the lack of any shielding it was more than adequate. Massive explosions enforced by the detonation of power generators and missile and torpedo magazines forced their way through the entire arm section. Turrets on this island stopped firing and were blown off the hull because of the tremendous force forcing their way through the interior with a chain reaction. The entire arm broke off from the rest of the ship at the beginning and exploded into billions of pieces leaving only a huge scar in the form of crackling forcefields and decompressed decks. The mechanical minions of the Dominion that had been unable to escape the catastrophe had been sucked into space and with no means of maneuvering they would be drifting around forever until they would collide with something solid or burn up into the atmosphere of a planet or the corona of a star. Instead of continuing to approach the planet the entire structure came to a halt continuing to fight off the attackers.

"What are they doing?" the Captains of all ships asked themselves.

It couldn't be that the destruction of one arm left them without means to continue the fight, could it?

"It looks like they've stopped moving Captain" Naea stated.

Aboard the _Son of the Empire_ things weren't any better than on other ships. She had been shot up pretty badly and Stith couldn't get enough power to the weapons to keep all of them firing. The enemy however just kept firing the lasers and missile and torpedo launchers.

"What are they doing?" Kero asked to no one in common.

_Why stop now?_ Maybe they were trying to get reinforcements into this direction or preparing for a last final assault. He couldn't be sure but he didn't believe that surrender was actually a thing these Machines were familiar with. However it would be nicer if they did.

"Shields are down to eighteen percent!" Stith yelled.

An explosion on the bridge destroyed a couple of monitors and started a fire which one of the officers quickly took out.

"We have another hull breach! Forcefields are holding but I don't know how long they can keep those up!"

"Try to put some distance between use and that ship" Kero ordered.

They couldn't take many more hits and they had stopped the enemy in its advance for a moment. It could be a good time to make some emergency repairs and in the mean time trying to find out what they were doing. Apparently some of the other ships got the same idea as they backed off too, setting course for the larger pieces of wreckage and the incapacitated ships of the Republic and its allied worlds. They could certainly use some help.

"_Massive damage to mothership detected. Mission failure imminent. Preparing final stages of planetary annihilation. Destroy all inferior lifeforms. "_

Ayko rushed through the damaged corridors of the USS _Highlander_ on her way to the bridge with Preed in tow, evading hasted crewmembers and hover stretchers carrying wounded. She hadn´t been fully recovered but when the attack started she had escaped from the claws of her doctor and left sickbay. She had first collected her newly promoted First Officer and was now on her way to the bridge to find out what was going on. She had seen sickbay fill up with more and more people and she couldn´t take it anymore. She somehow felt obligated to help. Not only because these people helped her but also because she heard that there were Akrennians in this fight too.

"I don't think we're allowed to go to the bridge under a combat situation" Preed said following her through a corridor filled with smoke.

He had to cough but she just kept going and didn't listen.

"I don't care, I wanna fight!" she snarled.

"I demand to know what the hell is going on."

"But you're out of bed for only a few minutes" Preed urged her to reconsider.

She even left sickbay against her doctor's will but he knew no one would be able to stop her in her current mood. But he still had to try. He didn't want to repeat the last two times of fearing for her life. But Ayko kept going, with her ears flat on her head and taking firm steps. She stepped into a turbolift next to a human male in gold accented Starfleet uniform.

"Deck one" she shouted without even waiting until Preed was fully inside.

He jumped the last step before the door closed and the elevator started to move. The Starfleet officer, Ensign by rank looked at her with a serious expression on his face.

"Ma'am, you can't be on the bridge in a combat situation. I recommend you return to your quarters."

Ayko looked aside to the young man. He had most likely been called in this emergency situation to replace one of his fellow more experienced officers. And this guy was convinced he could stop her.

"Say that to my face" Ayko replied showing him her sharp-toothed grin.

The man looked away from her and stared at the door.

"Never mind. Forget I said something."

Pleased by his reaction Ayko remained silent until the turbolift had reached the Ensign's desired deck and left.

When the turbolift reached deck one they arrived into one hell of a mess. The bridge was in ruins just like most corridors they'd seen on the way and medics were carrying away injured crewmen while engineering crews were trying to contain the damage. Captain Pierce was still in command giving orders and helping where he could together with his First Officer who seemed to be having a bad day too. His brown hair had never looked this disastrous before and he had a nasty cut over his left cheek. Blood oozed from the wound one of the medics was trying to heal but Jason was busy to assist his crew wherever possible and didn't seem to have time for that. When his eyes caught Ayko and Preed he looked furious at first but spoke with as much tact as possible when he approached them.

"Captain, what are you doing here? This is a combat situation and you're not authorized to be here under these circumstances."

Ayko took a deep breath and looked him in his dark almost black eyes with determination.

"Captain, I wanna help. I want to fight too."

Jason sighed. The medic now finally had the chance to position the dermal regenerator over the wound to heal his injury and took advantage of the interruption by the two Akrennians.

"Ayko, you're just out of sickbay recovering for the second time from a lethal injury. I don't think that this is a good…"

"Please sir. You've lost a lot of good people already and part of your crew is actually unable to keep fighting. Preed and I can help you out here on the bridge. I know how to operate a starship."

Jason shook his head and looked around his bridge. Everything was damaged or been destroyed and his crew was injured and in need of medical attention. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all to have them here. Where they could be off help and where he could keep an eye on them.

"All right, take those stations" he said pointing at two chairs no longer occupied.

The two Akrennians walked to their newly acquired seats grabbing hold of something in the mean time when the ship trembled again.

"Get us out of their weapons range!" Jason shouted in anger.

His ship was already in a condition far worse then he liked and at this rate it wouldn't take long before he didn't have any means to fight back with.

"Sir I'm detecting a massive power surge on the enemy ship. Something's moving too."

Jason rushed towards his ops. officer's station to take a look himself at what he found out. His eyes grew large when he reviewed the incoming sensor data.

"On screen."

In the middle of space, the massive mobile Machine city had come to a halt at only a couple of hundred-thousand kilometers from Earth. With most of its escorts immobilized or destroyed it was now beginning on the final procedure to end this battle and leave its enemy with nothing to fight for. The two foremost arms of the snowflake facing the planet shove aside until they ran parallel to their neighbors in the middle revealing a massive circular hole. When everyone watched and held their breath a ridge around this hole extended outwards to form a small muzzle. As this happened the device pointed at the planet surface, and what little defenses and ships in between and started to collect energy to charge up for a devastating veritable unstoppable attack. Stomachs turned somersaults when the crews of the defending ships began to realize what was happening here. It was a planet killing weapon. A massive cannon capable of eliminating all life on the planet, possibly only to destroy all organic life so that the Machines would have an easy time colonizing the dead world. Pierce was the first one who said something. They had to try. They had to gather everything they got and throw it against that ship before that cannon discharged. Millions of humans and aliens would die if that happened.

"We need to fire everything we've got into that cannon before it discharges!"

"You've heard the order!" Korso yelled over the bridge.

"Akima can you get under their shields so that mister Reese can fire its weapons into that cannon?"

Akima shook her head. There was no way they could get away in time.

"I'm sorry sir. If we fly through their shields there's no way we can make a turn tight enough to get away in time. We would be caught in the blast."

Korso growled in frustration. If it was their only chance he would have sacrificed his own life for humanity but he couldn't ask that from his crew. However they could use the small life boats and get to safety while he tried to do what was necessary to safe humanity. He had to make up his mind quickly. The cannon was collecting its energy to fire and they would have minutes left at most.

"Everyone into the escape pods" he ordered while switching controls to the joystick between his legs.

He grabbed the controls and felt the ship's energy flowing through his body like he hadn't felt in a long time. He and his ship formed a pair again, ready to do what needs to be done.

"Captain!" Akima said not willing to go away.

However the rest of his crew made preparations to follow his orders and Cale wanted to take her with him. But she pulled her arm from his grasp and halfway walked up the metal stairs to the second deck.

"Go Akima. There's not much you can do" Korso replied staring down at her from the main steering deck.

She knew she couldn't change her Captain's mind. He was going to do this with or without her, preferring she didn't die with him. But in this single moment of concentration loss. A single moment of not having her at the helm, gave the enemy weapon systems a chance to lock on.

"Watch out!" she yelled trying to get hold of something when the weapons lock alert blared over the bridge.

The sound of an explosion was followed up by secondary ones when fires broke out on the bridge. The crew was tossed around like a collection of ragdolls and she lost consciousness when her head made contact with the bulkhead. She vaguely noticed how someone shook her body and yelled her name before everything went dark.

_**Authors note: Music track 30.**_

Kero watched how all hell broke loose for one last time. The enemy opened fire in all directions, not caring if it hit foes or what little friends still left. Ships had to back off, still fighting back from a distance and the _Valkyrie _which made a maneuver like her Captain had a plan of some kind spun out of control leaking atmosphere from her aft section when a missile broke through her weakened shields and blew a hole in her port engine nacelle. Even escape pods weren't spared in the storm of laserfire coming from the enemy's turrets. _There has to be another way._ Why couldn't he see it? His friends and many more good people were dying and there was nothing they could do to stop the annihilation of an entire species. _C'mon Kero, think! _Suddenly, like Kirliya herself had whispered in his ear, his mind came up with a plan to end the suffering and this war. It was dangerous and it required a sacrifice. Who would end his life to safe millions of others? Ordering Naea to steer clear of the enemy's turrets and feeling precious time slipping away he stood up to face his crew.

"All hands this is the Captain. Abandon ship, head for the escape pods. Help will be on its way."

Suddenly he got a better idea. If the _Highlander_ was still there they could beam them aboard to prevent them from getting killed by the absurd amount of fire the enemy ship was giving off. The _Son of the Empire_ trembled frequently under the heavy weapons fire and her shields were weakening by the second.

"Sir, what are you doing?" Rilas asked.

"No one stays here."

Jason's face appeared on the screen looking like he had fought the Machines with his bare hands.

"Jason can you beam my people on board? I have to do something."

"I'll try but…"

He was interrupted by another explosion on his own ship.

"But I don't know for how long I can keep those transporters working!"

Kero knew he had to be fast if he wanted to bring as much of his crew to safety as possible. He received confirmation that his crew was already beginning to make preparations to leave the ship until Stith stepped up to him with her arms crossed and nothing but determination in her eyes.

"I'm staying here with you" she said with an undertone in her voice that didn't leave any room for opposition from his side.

Here she did it again. How he loved this strong-willed girl but this time she couldn't stay with him. He didn't want her to die at such a young age. She had a long life in front of her and he would have been happy to be on her side for the rest of that life, but he couldn't. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her tightly against him. For one last time he wanted to hold her. He took a deep breath, released her and looked her in her beautiful copper-colored eyes, his hand softly touching her cheek.

"I'm sorry Stith."

"Kero what are you?..."

A soft cry escaped her mouth when his fist made contact with her temple. It wasn't hard but well-targeted and the last thing she heard was Kero's voice when she lost consciousness in his large well-build arms. The Prince softly caught her collapsing body and looked at her for the last time. She was beautiful, with a lovely personality and he wished it would have been different.

"Rilas, would you please take care of her? Make sure she gets the life she deserves, do that for me will ya?"

Rilas stepped behind the motionless Stith and took over her unconscious body from his Captain.

"I will sir" he promised.

"Jason can you beam out my First Officer and Lieutenant please?" he asked.

"Sure Kero."

Kero watched with tears in his bright blue eyes how Stith and Rilas disappeared in a pattern of tiny blue stars together with other members of his bridge crew while the place continued to fall apart. He was now all alone on the bridge of the ship that was given to him by his father. When he looked around and closed his eyes for a second, his mind brought him back to the moment when he first stepped on this bridge. His future command center. The faces of the crew, ready to follow orders from their new Captain. Now he had to block out everything happening around him just to see those faces and hear their voices again.

"Warning, hull integrity at fifty percent."

When he opened his eyes again that same bridge was now in ruins, with sparks raining on the deck, consoles flickering and small fires near blown conduits that added their smoke to the gas coming from a leak. Kero's eyes felt on Naea's console, but when he wanted to take the _Son of the Empire_'s helm for the last time he was held back by a voice.

"Kero! Brother!"

Of course it was Rajah. The younger Prince knew his brother all too well to know he would try something like this. But he had courage, Rajah had to admit that. He could remember a time where he would rather have him out of his life but things had changed. The black-skinned Goureg with the scarred face stepped on the destroyed bridge, still trying to catch his breath from his run to the turbolifts.

"Kero. Don't do it!"

"I must Rajah" Kero replied without hesitation.

He didn't want it anymore than his brother did but millions of humans were about to lose their lives and their homeworld for the second time. He just couldn't let that happen.

"Why didn't you join the others? I ordered everyone off the ship. This time you follow _my_ orders."

He tried to lay some anger in his voice but for some reason he couldn't. This was his brother he was talking to for the last time and the lump in his throat became thicker and thicker.

"But, Kero" Rajah began.

He was beaten and he knew it. Kero wasn't planning to change his mind and there was nothing he could do against it. Kero grabbed his brother's shoulders and pulled the younger Prince tightly against him.

"You have to go. There's not much time left. Don't cry Rajah, its better this way."

He gently patted Rajah on the back feeling the other Mantrin shiver and hearing him sob in sorrow. Tears rolled down Rajah's cheeks when he looked up. He snorted and wiped them off with the back of his clawed hand.

"Farewell Kero, may Kirliya receive you with open arms when you make 'the crossing' as an honorable warrior."

"Be a good ruler to our people brother. Go!"

Rajah turned around and hasted himself off the command deck that trembled under his feet. When the turbolift doors closed behind him and Kero was alone again, he swallowed and took a deep breath. He rushed to Naea's console assuming control of the ship's helm and steered her towards the planet, making a circular movement to bring the massive Imperial ship of war in front of the cannon which was still collecting massive amounts of energy. When the com. beeped again, Jason appeared on the screen with a look of concern on his face.

"Transporters are down! I'm sorry Kero but you have to launch escape pods! We'll collect them immediately!"

"Okay, do you think you can get them?…"

The transmission broke off right after another missile broke through what was left of the starboard shields and exploded directly on to the hull.

"C'mon re-establish link" he whispered between clenched teeth trying to get Jason back up by typing commands into the flickering console.

He was getting closer to the enemy ship and the amount of direct hits intensified. But the com. was irreparably damaged and he couldn't get it back up whatever he tried. He closed his eyes and bit his teeth. _Figured that this would be a one way trip._ He turned the _Son of the Empire_ a couple of more degrees so that the massive opening of the cannon integrated into the center section of the enemy command vessel was now directly in front of him. He closed his eyes for the last time and pushed the battered engines to full speed, knowing in their damaged state he could blow off the entire aft section. It didn't matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was to prevent the destruction of an entire race and perhaps more.

"Does she need a doctor?" Jason asked when Rilas materialized on the bridge of the _Highlander_ with the unconscious Stith in his arms.

She weighed heavily in his strong arms but that changed immediately when she flicked her ears, opened her eyes and answered Jason's question without a direct answer. Muscles rippled under the sleeves of her uniform and she released herself from Rilas' arms looking around her with an aching head and a slight feeling of dizziness.

"Kero, when I'm done with you, you'd wish you were dead" she grumbled.

But when she looked around she realized she wasn't on the bridge of the ship she was assigned to anymore.

"Are you all right?" Jason asked standing only half a meter in front of her.

"Yeah, yeah" she mumbled rising back on her legs, her height surpassing his.

"What happened? He knocked me unconscious!"

She had to admit, she never expected _him_ to pull a stunt like that. Kero was always so sweet to her but knocking her on the head? Suddenly her eyes caught something behind Jason that strengthened her anger. Among the members of Jason's bridge crew were two Akrennians. One of them was Ayko, the military Captain she had a collision with in the_ Lighthouse_. But the other one was a whole different story. Precisely when she looked at him, he looked at her, their eyes locking together, creating an awful lot of friction in between. Her ears flattened on her head in anger when she associated this person in particular with everything she knew about him and exploded.

"You!" she shouted pointing with one clawed finger over Jason's shoulders.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Stith!" Jason interrupted her.

His sudden strong voice withheld her from starting an argument on his bridge.

"They are here under my authority. A lot of my crew are injured and when Ayko offered me her help I accepted. They are now acting as officers of my crew."

"Stith" Rilas added putting a hand on her shoulder and looking her in the eye.

She sighed heavily and under the pressure of her superior officer she calmed down but not without losing Preed from her eyesight.

"Captain, the _Son of the Empire_ is on a collision course with the enemy ship" Chrysta dragged their attention.

"What?!" Stith exclaimed.

Her eyes flashed to the viewscreen now showing the beautiful Imperial warship pushing her engines over their maximum moving towards the enemy command ship, still causing death and destruction all around her with her weapons.

"Life signs?" Jason asked his ops. officer.

"One sir."

Stith felt like an entire moon suddenly plunged into her stomach. That one, that single life sign, that single person still aboard the ship could only be Kero. She knew it was true, she could feel it. With only a few more kilometers to go the ship raced to its death, taking its single crewmember still aboard with her. It was a sight she would never forget.

From the outside it looked like someone had taken a shotgun and was shooting at a sandcastle. With the shields down, the explosions of missiles, lasers and torpedoes punched through the _Son of the Empire_'s hull armor and tore whole sections from her body. A fiery stream of plasma leaked from her overloading engines screaming for mercy when they were pushed far beyond their safety limits. Bulkheads collapsed. Explosions tore the bridge behind him completely apart but Kero was sitting behind the foremost console of his war-torn ship steering her directly into a hole of death. The cannon was almost ready to fire and the enemy had locked all of its weapons onto the approaching Mantrin warship. The ship had launched the last of its escape pods and they were blasting away to safety trying to get out of reach of the enemy's weapons. With the deafening sound of explosions in his ears and the heat of fires behind his back, Kero locked everything that happened around him out for a moment. The blinding light of the cannon's mouth was in front of him but he closed his eyes to lock that out too. Racing towards an instantaneous death he saw his life passing in front of his eyes.

He had led a good life, with people who loved him around him all the time, although he had been too cocky to see it most of the time. Zahn, The'lah, Myrzah and even Rajah. They had always been there for him. If he had just taken the time to look, he would have seen it a long time ago. And then there was Stith. If he had to choose one moment, the best moment of his life, it would have been the moment he got to know her. How he loved that girl. Never had a girl touched both of his hearts in such a way before. He had been on the same wavelength from the beginning. He loved her, she loved him. They just complemented each other.

Tears rolled down his cheeks when he thought about those moments and the thought that it was coming to an end right now. He didn't even open his eyes anymore but waited for the ship's bow to make contact with the massive planet killing weapon. The moment he felt the shock of two objects crashing into each other, the loud crunching and screeching of metal he felt himself becoming curiously light. Like his body was dissolving into nothing. No one could tell how it felt to die but it was different from what he expected. Somehow he knew that feeling but his mind was unable to place it. Not that it mattered. He had died an honorable warrior's death and saved an entire civilization from utter destruction. What more could he wish for? Only Kirliya could provide him with the answers.


	45. Chapter 43 Final Victor

**Final Victor**

Stith just couldn't believe what happened on the viewscreen in front of her. Her mind refused to accept what her eyes were seeing. _He can't be gone. _The mighty _Son of the Empire,_ the pride of the Imperial fleet, within a moment's notice it was gone taking its Captain with it. The ship was crushed under the enormous force its own burning engines were producing, the nacelles exploding on impact. The forward bow burrowed itself deep into the command ship's main cannon, the destruction more than enough to do the trick. Unable to release the energy in any other way, the stored power inside the weapon backfired partially into the ship's own systems when it exploded. This time the AI couldn't escape. It couldn't do anything to prevent its destruction by its own weapon it was planning to deploy against another helpless world.

The massive antimatter explosion caused by the destruction of the _Son of the Empire_ was only the beginning of a chain reaction that started to tear the whole thirty kilometer in diameter floating Machine city apart. Massive explosions erupted from its interior destroying everything in their path, debris, pieces of hull and entire sections flying everywhere causing secondary explosions when they collided. Multiple antimatter explosions lighted up entire parts when warp cores breached, the blinding blue light preventing the survivors of the remaining ships to look directly at the viewscreen for a moment. The chain of explosions spread outwards through the arms until there was nothing left but a field of debris, pieces of it burning up in the atmosphere of New Earth. Even the people who had been watching the battle from the surface had seen the massive explosions as a spectacular lightshow lighting up against the stars in the night sky. It had been a moment of relief for all but a few selected people.

_**Authors note: Music track 31.**_

Tears spattered around when Stith fell to her first set of knees on the deck of the USS _Highlander_ and cried. She cried like she had never cried before. Her hands and shoulders shaking, completely letting herself go in sorrow.

"Nooooo! Please! No, he can't be gone!"

She slammed her fist on the deck in anger and frustration until it hurt. Nothing in the universe could bring him back and she had never felt so miserable in her entire life. Her Kero, her beloved one, he was gone and he had taken almost everything she loved in her life with him. It made her nauseous. She didn't even take the time to look around her where everyone wanted to express their sympathy. Even the Akrennians felt sorry for her, despite the hostilities between the species in the past. It was terrible to lose your beloved one like this. That was until she felt the hand of Rilas on her shoulder and Jason stepped up to her.

"Stith, I…" Jason began but he couldn't finish his sentence.

He knew her as a strong and maybe even aggressive woman but grief had turned her into a weak young girl. He didn't know what to do when she threw herself into his arms and cried. He looked at Rilas, a bit unsure what to do when he held the big alien woman in his arms.

"I loved him! Why did She have to take him away from me?" Stith screamed.

"Shhh" he replied patting her back.

"Stith, I… I don't know what you're going through but I want you to know that, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. If our transporters had still worked I would have beamed him out of there."

"Sir, several ships are requesting assistance and the _Valkyrie_ is requesting to use our docking bay as safe haven for the time being" Chrysta stated.

"Do what you have to Chrysta" Jason replied continuing to comfort Stith.

Rilas didn't know what to do either and gently stroke her back, feeling so bad about it himself too. He had lost a good friend and he would have sacrificed his own life for Kero's if he had known what he was up to. It made him mad. _I could have known that he would try something like this. _The war-torn RSS _Valkyrie_ docked inside the _Highlander_'s bay and Chrysta had the ship set course for escape pods and other damaged vessels that required assistance, answering all kinds of hails at the same time. After Captain Wallace of the _Shenandoah_ and Captain Russell of the _Phoenix_ had congratulated them with their victory over the Machine threat, Admiral Cunnington aboard the USS _Independence_ appeared on the screen requested Jason's attention. Jason asked his superior for a moment and gently lifted Stith's head so that he could look in her watery eyes.

"Stith, if you wanna use my ready room…"

Stith who had calmed down a bit and had forced her mind to except that she lost her beloved one interrupted.

"No, no, I think I'm all right" she said wiping off the tears.

She took a few deep breaths and let herself be embraced by Rilas instead. Jason straightened his back and turned his attention to the viewscreen. The _Independence_ was still relatively intact but had seen her portion of the fight for sure.

"Jason, do you still have room inside you sickbay? Ours is flooding with wounded we picked up from several other vessels and we don't have the resources to take care of all of them."

"Just beam them over sir, we'll take care of them" Jason replied.

So many dead, so many wounded and the Admiral brought even more concerning news. It wasn't exactly news to him but it certainly required a response from their side and quickly too.

"Today is a sad day Jason. We've defeated the Machine threat but lost a lot of good people in the process. But from what I've heard the fight is not over yet."

"That's correct sir. The gate in the Aridanis system must be destroyed in order to secure the quadrant."

"I'll have a meeting aboard the _Atlas_ space station with Republican command. We have to act quickly. You'll have your orders soon Captain. _Independence_ out."

The Admiral's ship beamed over a portion of their wounded and set course for the space station that had taken quite some damage itself. The station's commander had transferred all power to the shields protecting the side facing away from Earth but it had still taken a lot of damage in the attack.

"Captain we're receiving another message" Chrysta said tapping a few buttons on her console.

"It's Captain Halloway sir. He reports their com. is down and he has low impulse only but he's requesting to beam a few people aboard."

"Do it."

Apparently Greg had given everything had got and nearly lost its ship in the process. The _Capella_ had taken considerable damage and the crew had just stopped venting plasma from the ship's upper warp nacelle to restore integrity to the drive systems. Limping towards them at low impulse and thrusters the ship assumed position next to the battered _Highlander_ and initiated the beam over. Jason sighed. Admiral Cunnington was right about it being a sad day. Both the Federation and the worlds of the Republic had lost several ships and if they didn't have the supporting fighter squadrons they sure would have lost a lot more. Maybe New Earth wouldn't even exist anymore were that the case. And it still wasn't over. He didn't even look up when his ears picked up the sound of turbolift doors opening and when the sound of heavy footsteps hitting the deck followed after that.

But when Stith looked up from Rilas' shoulder to see who entered she couldn't believe her eyes. It couldn't be him. She had seen the _Son of the Empire_ explode into a miniature supernova taking the entire command ship with it. And yet he was standing there with his toothy smile on his face and twinkling bright blue eyes, a few cuts and bruises adding a rough touch to his appearance.

"You didn't give up on me so soon I hope?"

Stith released herself from Rilas' arms and stood there for a moment, her beak dropping open. The harder she tried to convince herself it wasn't him the more it came to her that he was. Kero, the Mantrin she loved more than anyone else was standing in front of her with that smirk on his face. He had seen her face, wet from the tears and spread his arms to hold his beloved one. As fast as her massive legs could carry her, she ran into him throwing herself against his barrel chest and cried softly for a moment.

"It's all right, it's all right" he said pressing her tightly against him.

He took a few deep breaths and rubbed her back.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

Stith was so glad he was back for a moment she actually forgot what he had done, until it returned with a flash of anger. She released herself from his grip, withdrew her hand and slapped him in his face with considerable force adding another bruise to his collection.

"Aaahhh" Kero said grabbing his left cheek which slowly began to turn red.

"Why did you do that for?" he asked in astonishment.

Stith looked at him, now with a slight anger flashing in her copper-colored eyes.

"_That_, was for knocking me unconscious!" she shouted scaring Kero a bit.

He actually felt a bit ashamed about it now that he faced her again but he couldn't risk her dying with him. The bridge crew of the _Highlander_ was staring at them in astonishment, partially because he made it out alive and partially by Stith's response to his return and Rilas had the biggest smirk he had ever seen on his face.

"I'm sorry Stith. I didn't want to run the risk of you dying with me."

Stith didn't know what to say.

"You had… I can't believe you lied to me! You said we would go through this together!"

Indeed he had made that promise, something he kind of knew he would regret later on.

"Stith, if the _Capella_ hadn't been in the neighborhood, I would have died."

"Then I would have died with you!" Stith continued without listening to him.

"Guess I had this one coming then" he said rubbing his jaw.

They could tell from her what they wanted but she had a powerful right one.

"_That_ was for knocking me down!" she repeated without feeling any remorse over it.

However she bowed towards him, pulled his hand away from the sore spot and licked his left cheek after which she looked him in the eyes.

"And that, was for coming back to me" she said her voice almost quieting to a whisper.

He embraced her again and softly bit her in the scruff of her neck, making her tail shiver.

"Thanks Rilas" he said.

"No problem sir" Rilas replied with a wink.

"I think we can learn a lot from you about honor Kero" Jason praised the alien Captain.

His act of courage had saved an entire civilization and more from extinction. The Machines certainly wouldn't have stopped at New Earth and it was Kero's courage and quick thinking that put a stop to that. Now they just had to act fast or face a second invasion from this almost unstoppable and ferocious enemy. But the Machines had incapacitated more than half of their fleet and they needed reinforcements if they wanted to take out the gate providing the enemy with a way to do it all over again.

"Thank you Jason" Kero replied letting go of Stith who had never felt so relieved in her entire life.

"You did it Kero. You've regained your honor and you did it all by yourself. I'm proud of you" she said flinging her arms around his neck.

Kero smiled and felt great about it. But now he had lost his ship for the second time in such a short period. He already wondered how he was going to explain this to his father.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Stith said wiping over the huge wet spot on Jason's shoulder.

"That's okay" Jason replied with a shrug.

He had gotten through worse things than a flood of tears. The thing Stith hadn't accounted for was Ayko suddenly standing next to her. The Akrennian woman's eyes flickered with something that could have been hostility but this time it was something different. She took a deep breath and spoke up.

"I must say, and I'm serious about this, that I've been wrong about your people Stith."

Stith's ear slowly flattened as she wondered what this was all about. An Akrennian offering some kind of apology to a Mantrin? _The universe must have gone mad._

"Because of the hostilities between our two people in the past, I was more than willing to believe the lies and propaganda still spread among our society as we speak."

She stuck out her hand and faced the Mantrin with determination, preparing to forget all the misunderstandings and work together in the future.

"I want you to know that I'm sorry for what happened between the two of us and I'm offering you my friendship, as the beginning of a new era. There are greater enemies to fight against and if we face them together, nothing can stop us."

After a slight hesitation, Stith took her hand and shook it firmly.

"Right" she said with a nod.

"Thank you Ayko."

Ayko smiled, revealing her glistening fangs.

"I know you don't like Preed and you have your reasons for doing so but don't worry. You won't recognize him when I'm done disciplining the guy."

Stith chuckled.

"I'm counting on that."

"What?" Preed asked from behind his console.

He had been listening with half an ear but when he heard his name he suddenly woke up.

"Yeah you heard me!" Ayko barked turning her back towards the Mantrins to face him with all her authority.

"We'll make a warrior out of you yet! Let's get back to work! Since our Captain here is a little undermanned at the moment, we'll assist him for a little bit longer, if he doesn't mind?" she said her eyes flashing in Jason's direction.

"Better let me do the talking Captain!" Jason replied with a smirk.

"Aye sir!" Ayko shouted taking her station.

A few seconds later the _Highlander_ received a rather distorted hail. When Jason's ops. officer had it cleared up a bit Kero was surprised to see Captain Ma'zan's face on the screen. He was angry and not without reason as his bridge was a mess and he had lost a good portion of his crew but his engineers must have been the best in the entire Imperial fleet to have the ship capable of flying again in such a short period of time.

"Captain Ma'zan, you're… you're okay" Kero brought out in astonishment.

Ma'zan growled, the smell of victory fresh in his nostrils.

"It was a fight well fought Captain. My chief engineer thinks he can get the warp engines back online in a few minutes. And then we will defeat our nemesis once and for all! Someone who has the audacity to face the Imperial Guard will have to face the consequences!"

Despite his heavy losses and damaged state of his ship, Jason found himself surprised by the Mantrin's determination to participate in the last battle to destroy the gate. A shockwave torpedo had blown a hole the size of a shuttlecraft in the side of the _Volari_, yet her Captain wouldn't hesitate to continue the fight. If it were a Federation ship, he would have called him reckless but with these Mantrins he knew better. They seeked revenge for the fallen and since they thought there was honor in death he thought twice before calling him a moron.

"But sir, you're in no condition to fight" Kero replied looking at the collapsed bulkhead on the _Volari_'s bridge and her injured crew.

Blood trickling from his beak had left a red trail on the Sogowan's muzzle and his crew have had better days too.

"Don't worry about me Captain" Ma'zan replied with a grunt.

"I feel sorry for the loss of your ship though."

"Well, I've lost the ship but not its crew and that's the most important thing" Kero replied with a faint smile.

Ma'zan nodded and turned his attention to Jason.

"My complements on you fine ship and you skills in battle Captain."

"Thank you sir" Jason replied trying to lay respect in his voice.

"But a legendary Federation Captain once said: A Federation vessel is only as good as it's crew."

Ma'zan smirked and let out a laugh that sounded more like a bark.

"I can understand his legendary status human. Now let's prepare for the final step! Battle calls!"

After Ma'zan's transmission ended the helmsman of the _Highlander_ cut all power to the engines and kept her steady so that she could get the necessary repairs for another trip. Just as Jason wanted to go over to his ready room, Joseph Korso, Cale and Yani stepped on the bridge. Thanks to the massive blow to the _Valkyrie_'s left, the ship had taken quite some damage to her engines and some of her crew were injured in the attack.

"Back again? I hope your crew is all right" Jason said switching direction from his ready room to the newcomers.

"It's nothing serious, a few cuts, bruises and a broken bone or two but Akima got off worse" Korso replied the seriousness dripping from his face.

Cale shook his head and sighed.

"The shockwave of that weapon hit us hard. Head trauma and her arm is broken in two places but Gune is working with your medical staff to fix her up in your sickbay."

He noticed Stith's shocked face and remembered the friendship between the two. Stith and Akima cared for each other and it would greatly hurt one of them of something happened to the other.

"Akima" Stith whispered wanting to see her right now. But she knew she wouldn't be able to.

"I'm afraid we're gonna need some quarters again" Korso switched the subject.

"Well, you know the way" Jason replied with a faint smile.

"I'll see to it that your ship receives the repairs she needs."

"Thanks Captain" Korso replied heading back the way he came.

"I shall arrange some quarters for you and the members of your crew too" Jason said to the Mantrin duo.

As soon as everyone left his bridge he headed for his ready room, leaving Chrysta in command and got himself a nice cup of tea. Looking at the current state of the room, he was glad the replicator system still worked. A small pile of PADDS had fallen off his desk and more things had tumbled through the room turning it into a messy business, something completely unacceptable for a Captain's ready room. He let himself fall down in his chair and waited. He waited for the communiqué from Admiral Cunnington to tell him that he could move out with what was left of the fleet. Fortunately, late reinforcements that didn't arrive in time for the big battle poured into the system, ready to reinforce the final expedition back to the Aridanis system. Who knows what reinforcements the Machines had already brought into the system? Enjoying the hot aromatic liquid, freshing up his brain to help him think straight, the hail from the Admiral came sooner than expected.

"Jason, Republican Command and I have decided that you should move out immediately. Two of their ships, the _Chimaera_ and the _Bellerophon_ will join you together with the reinforcement fleets from the other worlds and our own still battle-capable ships."

"Acknowledged sir" Jason replied firmly.

They had to act fast or they would give the Machines to much time to bring more reinforcements of their own into the Aridanis system and if that happened their presence would eventually grow too big for them to counter.

"Good luck again Captain. Cunnington out."

Jason emptied his cup, took a deep breath and returned to the bridge. He was tired to death and walking past sickbay certainly wouldn't be a good idea since any doctor would order him to have at least six hours of sleep. But the more he began to think about it, the more he longed for a soft mattress, a blanket and a pillow. Therefore, he had his bridge crew change shifts, letting Ayko and Preed keep their temporary positions and left for his quarters. On his way to the bridge, he could feel the slight bump of the ship crossing the warp barrier putting his mind at ease. The crew certainly wouldn't benefit from a tired Captain on the bridge and it would only increase the chances of making errors in the middle of a critical situation. Something that could be fatal.

"Captain's log supplemental…"

As soon as he had spoken the words he stopped talking and deleted the entry right after it was made. Korso had let the _Highlander_'s computer interface with the _Valkyrie_'s so that he could keep up his log but the past few days had slowly caused him to lose track of time. He had taken the exact same quarters and a quick look at the time index on the screen made him realize that it was already February the 10th.

"Captain's log, February 10th, 3044. Well, I don't know where to start. Apparently our fleet arrived just in time to safe Earth from utter destruction. There were so many of them. If we had arrived a few minutes later humanity would have been wiped out by a single shot."

He took a sip of the cold beer he just replicated and continued. Unfortunately for him, it contained a substitute for alcohol, called synthehol which didn't have the same effect as the real stuff but at least the taste was good.

"If we hadn´t left Aridanis immediately after we picked up the Mantrin assault group and had gone for the gate first, Earth would have been a pile of rubble when we returned. Fortunately we´ve done it this way. I wanted to use the _Valkyrie_ to make a sacrifice for the people of Earth. I wanted to use it as a last resort but those Machines left me with no choice. However that shot of them was pretty well-targeted and took out my engines. Lucky someone else picked up where I left."

He shook his head.

"Next thing I knew, the _Son of the Empire_ captained by Prince Kero of the Mantrin Empire made the sacrifice. For a world that wasn't even his own. I mean, you really need to have guts to be able to do that. Kero survived thanks to an attentive Captain of a Federation starship. Jeez, I can't believe the luck that guy possesses."

He emptied the glass of beer, letting the beverage circulate through his mouth so that the bitter taste of victory with a high price was flushed away in an instant.

"Well, you know what they say, the bigger they are the harder they fall. But every victory has its price and we haven't fully paid yet. The _Highlander_ and a fleet of allied reinforcements has set course for Aridanis to finish this once and for all. I hope…"

Korso was interrupted by the gentle chime of the door. Someone wanted to enter.

"Computer safe recording. Enter."

When the door opened Cale stepped inside and Korso invited him to sit down on the couch next to him and offered him a beer.

"You're awfully quiet" Korso remarked on a bit cheerful tone when Cale looked around the room at anything but him.

Cale brushed through his blonde hair with both his hands and sighed. He opened up the upper part of his navy blue uniform jacket just like Korso and groaned softly.

"I'm a little worried about Akima, that's all" he eventually said.

Korso could clearly hear on the tone of the young man's voice and the expression on his face that it wasn't everything. It was more than just Akima. She would be all right, he had seen it for himself.

"You can't hide things from people if you let your face speak for you Cale" Korso replied rather nonchalant.

Cale mumbled something inaudible and assumed a more comfortable position.

"All right Korso you've got me. But look around. Our Galaxy looks like a piece of Swiss cheese. If we close this hole who says another one won't show up somewhere else? This conflict is spreading and I'm beginning to doubt if there's anything we can do to stop it."

"Well what do you suggest we do next? Just wait until they get here so that they can slaughter us?"

"It doesn't make sense" Cale retorted.

He tossed is arm up in frustration and let it fall down on his knee with a slap.

"C'mon Cale it'll work out. Maybe we can have patrolling ships stay on the lookout for any distortions and close them while they're on it."

Korso patted him on the shoulder and shook him in a friendly manor. When Cale didn't reply he put on a fatherly tone and spoke to him directly.

"Cale, I don't recognize you this way."

"Ah, you're right!" Cale replied suddenly looking up.

His hazel-colored eyes flickered with the determination he was used to and it seemed like Korso had also helped to improve his mood. It was strange how good friends always managed to cheer you up, no matter how you feel. Korso was right. A new era awaited the human race and it was up to people like them to make sure it stayed that way.

Kero gazed out of the window of the quarters that had been provided to him by Captain Pierce, to the stars passing by and the ships of the fleet moving alongside the _Highlander_. His thoughts were with his crew, separated from each other and spread over several of the surviving ships. What bothered him was the fact that he didn't even know if they all made it out alive. Rajah or any other member of the EAF team wasn't on the _Highlander_ either. _Well, they can hold their own, I've seen that for myself._ During his last moments aboard the _Son of the Empire_ he had seen the blips of escape pods on sensors, setting course for safety. But those escape pods were vulnerable, unshielded and a single hit could take one out. His thoughts were starting to annoy him. They were still a few hours away from Aridanis and he didn't exactly know what to do for the moment. Some of his crew were aboard the _Highlander_ and most of the complaints were about the size of the quarters. The largest still available had been provided to him and all the other members of his species for obvious reasons. Jason had received the order to move out immediately so there wasn´t even time to drop them off at Earth. Kero let his breath escape with a deep sigh and shook his head. His tail was nervously whipping from one side to the other. He flicked his ears at the gentle chime of the door. Expecting his girlfriend he replied on a rather casual tone.

"Come in."

But when the door shove aside he hadn't expected the tearful face of his youngest officer. The Fjetahna girl stepped into the quarters the door closing automatically behind her.

"S…Sir? I can't find my sister anywhere" she said with a shaky voice.

Her tufted ears were almost _hanging_ beside her head and her fluffy tail dropped to the floor when she stood in front of him. Kero immediately felt sorry for her. From every member of his species he had ever met, he found this girl the least warlike. But Naea was stationed on the bridge and had been beamed to the _Highlander_ right after he ordered the ship-wide evacuation. She _had_ to be on the _Highlander._ He sunk through his double knees so that he was at equal height with the smaller Fjetahna, flung an arm around her shoulder and spoke to her at a soft tone.

"Hey c'mon, she's gotta be here somewhere. I've ordered her to leave the ship using the transporter."

Kiké played with her brown-reddish mane and bit her lip. Her Captain was like a father to her. Yeah, she really missed her parents but ever since she met him in person she began to view the Prince as a temporary replacement. It could be considered a weakness by her fellow crewmates but sometimes she just felt the need for a fatherly figure in her life. Just when Kero wanted to help her find her sister the gentle chime of the door sounded again. When he called for the person behind the door to enter, Naea stepped in shaking her head, her long mane similar to Kiké's swaying softly behind her back. The young Mantrinesse had a look of disapproval on her face and didn't appear to be in a good mood.

"Kiké, I've been turning the place upside down just to find you. Where have you been? I was worried about you. I heard you were aboard but I couldn't…"

Naea couldn't finish her lecture as her younger sister threw herself against her chest and wrapped her arms around her middle. Naea rubbed her sister's back and sighed.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience sir, I told her she was too young to join the military but of course she never listens to me."

"Not a problem Lieutenant" Kero replied with a smirk when he saw Kiké's facial expression change from relief to indignance.

"Hey! I'm not _too_ young! Why does everyone keeps saying that?" she replied letting go of Naea and crossing her arms.

She scoffed and turned her head away with a tug.

"Here we go again" Naea said with a shrug.

"Come young lady. Maybe we can be of help somewhere."

Naea lead the way out with a soft grumbling Kiké on her tail. When the door opened to let her out Kero noticed Stith stepping aside for Naea when she left.

"Are there any more people in the queue?" he asked with a smirk.

"You're not that popular" Stith laughed when she entered the room, the door closing behind her.

She leaned over to him and rubbed her muzzle against his in a caressing sort of way.

"These quarters are awfully cramped you know" Stith said her voice almost a whisper but full of lust.

He could hear she was preparing for something, her toenails scratching over the deck. Her remarkably soft hand stroke his large flappy ear, the Prince purring softly under her touch. He knew what she meant. If he rose too high on his legs he would hit his head on the ceiling, something he knew was going to happen while they were aboard the _Highlander_.

"A little uncomfortable, maybe."

He extended his hand and wanted to touch her cheek.

"Sweety" he added provoking a rather hostile response from her unaware that she was playing with him.

She roughly grabbed his wrist before his fingers could make contact with her skin and snorted.

"_Don't_ call me sweety" she grumbled through gritted teeth but didn't fully succeed in hiding the laugh underneath.

She almost pulled him over until they both landed on the biggest of the two couches in the room which protested heavily under their combined weight. It was definitely not build to withstand the body mass of two mature Mantrins. Kero landed on his back on the pillows, his massive right foot still touching the ground and the leg attached to it used to support Stith who was lying on top. She growled softly from joy and started to lick his face.

"You know, we both got lucky" he said softly putting his teeth in the soft flesh of her neck.

Her tail shivered of pleasure and she could hear Kero's ruffling on the pillows when she returned the favor.

"Who needs luck when you've got skill" she replied panting softly.

Kero became overwhelmed by her attempts to claim him as her mate. The sweet smell of her body odor, her strong sense of love. She was beautiful and he didn't try to stop her anymore.

"Now tell me why did you hit me?" she growled.

"I didn't want to lose you."

She grabbed his unchanged uniform and ripped it to pieces to reveal his chest, softly biting into his flesh.

"You don't wanna lose me but it's okay for me to lose you?" she replied, a trickle of anger slipping into her voice.

"Maybe I should be more careful when making promises."

"No you should keep the promises you make."

Just when he began to wonder if she was still mad at him for what happened something went wrong. Stith was so engaged in their fiery love scene that her leg knocked away his and he lost his sense of balance. He rolled with her off the couch which was actually too small to hold them both and landed on the floor, his massive arm smashing right through the glass table adjacent to the couch. Splinters of glass spattered around the quarters which now looked more like a warzone. Lying next to a pile of sharp broken glass feeling the splinters cut his skin and causing small wounds, Kero looked up into Stith's copper-colored eyes. She bowed down to him and used her tongue to wipe of the blood dripping from a small cut on his left cheek. Tasting it in her mouth, she smirked.

"Kero? Will you be my mate?"

He laughed back at her, showing his sparkling white smile in all its glory.

"Am I going to survive that?"

"Depends on the answer" she replied adding a low growl deep within her throat.

"Of course Stith, I love you, more than anything else."

They scrambled back to their feet, careful not the step into anything sharp.

"I don't think Jason will be happy to see this" he said scratching the back of his head while looking around the devastated room.

Pieces of glass had spread themselves to the farthest corners of the quarters. Stith simply shrugged.

"Everything here is just too fragile."

She looked up at him and smiled.

"But I'll help you clean it up."

As she bowed through her knees to try and help him with this rather for a Mantrin rather difficult task she knew her life was going to be a whole lot different than she was used to and not in a negative way.

Jason was sitting in the center chair on the bridge of the _Highlander_ when the ship and its followers dropped out of warp at the edge of the _Aridanis_ system. The blue-colored _Aridanis_ sun glittered on the viewscreen, their goal lying between the first and second natural satellite orbiting the star.

"Open a channel to the fleet."

A quick nod from Ayko, who had temporarily replaced his ops. officer on her second shift was enough.

"Jason to all ships. Stay on alert and keep your ears and eyes open. I don't want any surprises. Our goal is located between the first and second planets. We don't know if they managed to get reinforcements but we have to assume they did. Keep your shields up at all time and charge weapons. We're going in."

The _Highlander_ engaged at full impulse, the rest of the fleet in pursuit. It was a combined fleet from the leftovers of the Republic, Federation and Mantrin forces, strengthened by the late reinforcements in the form of Indarian warships, Denali and Vusstran cruisers and a few Solbrechtian ships to backup the fleet. There were only three carriers, the one from the Mantrins, an _Atlantis _class from the Republic and one from the Indarians, with all of them less than half their fighter complement still intact. If they encountered more enemy attack fighters it would prove difficult to counter them.

Approaching the first of seven planets, nothing of interest showed up on sensors indicating the Machines were either holding up deeper inside the system or they didn't had the time to bring another controlling entity into the region the reassume control over the forces still lingering around the quadrant. Ships that were too damaged to join their fleet including Gregory's ship, the USS _Capella _and the USS _Shenandoah_ from Arthur had stayed behind to collect any escape pods as well as the survivors of damaged ships. In the mean time they used what little weapons they still had to destroy any disabled ships in case they received signal from a second AI entering the region. However the USS _Phoenix_ under the command of Captain Russell was still with them. Jason knew him only vaguely but he was the resourceful and respected Captain of an Insignia class vessel; a capable warship that survived the punishment from the Machine Dominion command ship without too much damage.

"Anything?" Jason asked.

"Are you suspecting something Captain?" Commander Winter asked.

She could almost feel her Captain's concern. It only strengthened her own as he was right most of the time.

"I don't know" he replied indistinctively.

_This could be a trap. What if they're just waiting to ambush us? _

Passing Aridanis VI and V at a steady speed and still no sign of any activity. Monitoring stations were offline, defense platforms powered down and not even a single patrol showed up on sensors. Getting overconfident was the danger here as well as proceeding in a rush. It was almost too easy. But with his ship in a worse condition than he wished for they had to proceed with caution. There was however no time for repairs. If they struck now they could take out the target without encountering any significant resistance by enemy forces entering through the gate. Delaying that action would only give them more time to reinforce their position.

By the time they reached and passed the bluish-green marble of the once heavily defended planet of Aridanis IV, there was still nothing. His orders were to proceed and destroy the trans-dimensional gate but his mind was almost screaming not to proceed any further without a significant number of combat-ready vessels. Despite the fact that they hadn't seen a single hostile ship he just knew they wouldn´t let their foothold in this region be destroyed that easily. But when they reached the third planet, sensors detected activity deeper inside the system, alerting the Captains of the fleet to slow down and stay at safe distance until they could assess the situation.

"Captain, the fleet is requesting orders" Ayko informed him.

"Tell them to stand by."

"Can't we use the _Valkyrie_ and her cloaking device to take a look?" Chrysta suggested.

"She's taken too much damage. Her cloak isn't functional either. We have to come up with another plan."

Jason tried to force his mind to come up with a solution but the more he tried the less results his mind seemed capable of producing at the moment. They were missing this final piece of the puzzle.

"Preed if we use the second planet as a cover for their sensors, do you think you can get an adequate scan of what's behind it so we can determine what we're up against?"

"Can't tell Captain. I don't know how powerful your sensors are."

The Akrennian did have a point. This was his first and probably also his last time of serving aboard a Federation ship. If the enemy wasn't constantly using active scans to keep track of their surroundings it might work but otherwise their sensors would be just as effective as theirs, even with that planet in between. It was a rather big 'if' but they didn't have much of a choice if they wanted to end this now.

"_Highlander_ to fleet. We're gonna take a quick look first; see what we're up against. Use the planet as cover and use the scanners at minimum possible power levels to avoid early detection. I repeat, proceed with caution."

The fleet quickly moved and pushed their engines to assume a steady low orbit in the dense atmosphere of Aridanis II. The frequent electromagnetic storms in some parts in the layer of gas surrounding the planet could temporarily mask their signatures but had the same negative effect on their sensors too. In low orbit of the planet, Preed let his long slender fingers dance over the panel of his console and initiated scans. A few moments later telemetry started to pour in and provided the fleet with some intel. The gate was protected by defensive platforms armed with torpedoes and cannons just as the _Valkryie_ had encountered when she was here. But sensors also confirmed that a few ships were standing guard next to the gate. The gate functioned as a short-range control station for a few ships but to bring in more ships, a controlling entity was needed to increase the range and capacity. And that was exactly what they were doing at the moment.

Energy levels increased drastically when the gate was activated, the flashing patterns of light intensifying as ships crossed the barrier between two universes. Preed's scanners went wild when a ship, much larger than the vessels guarding the gate exited the gate, flashes of lightning striking it's shields. The energy levels aboard were extremely high for this ship, despite its size and the only reason for that could be that it was carrying a second entity aboard. But it didn't stay with just one ship. Shortly after that more ships followed ready to defend this new AI. _We've got to attack now. _If they waited any longer their force would be too big to counter.

"Everyone attack. Your target is the gate. First we need to cut them off from any more reinforcements. Let's send them back to wherever they came from, with their tails tuck between their legs."

His helmsman immediately moved the ship out of orbit and engaged at full impulse, the other ships in pursuit. The red alert blared over the bridge, bringing weapons and shields online.

"Time to take out the trash!" Ayko sneered.

Imperial Guard Captain Ma'zan appeared on the screen, a smirk on his face.

"We humans have an old saying Captain" Jason said greeting the Mantrin.

"Fortune favors the bold."

Ma'zan let out a laugh.

"I like your saying human. We have a similar one: Only the bravest of warriors survive."

He let out a warcry backed up by his crew.

"Victory is within our grasp! Glory to the Empire and its allies!"

The transmission ended and the _Volari_ sped forward to attack first. "Let's follow before they get themselves killed" Chrysta remarked just as aware as her Captain how pugnacious these creatures were.

Apparently they had already been spotted because as soon as the enemy installations and their defenders came within sight range, their defenses opened fire. Fighters left the hanger bays of the lonely carrier present in the area and vessels moved in to intercept.

"Evasive pattern, gamma 5. Target those torpedo launchers!"

Taking out the gate was difficult if they were dead. The fleet followed his orders and opened fire on the defenses. A powerful Denali cruiser moved in and fired her powerful plasma beam banks at the targets. These powerful weapons took some time to recharge but their devastating attack easily made up for that. It was a unique ship to look at, partially filled with water and a design devoid of any sharp angles. Sparks showered down on the deck when a shockwave torpedo followed by a streak of pulse cannon-fire struck the forward shields. The weakened _Highlander_ had undergone some repairs on the move but it was far from adequate to make her fully combat ready. Jason bit his teeth as he watched how enemy fighters engaged his ship while _Dominator_'s, _Chi'la's _and the Indarian fighters fought them off. Engaged in a wild dance, the small ships miraculously managed to evade each other and the _Highlander_. He first ordered his tactical officer to fend them off with phaser fire but they were excellent dodgers so he decided to concentrate their fire on the more important targets. The ship carrying the new AI was also well capable of delivering a fight and started to fire its own weapons. Missiles left launch tubes, homing in on their targets like flies on syrup.

"Load torpedoes, target the ring structure" Jason ordered.

The _Highlander_'s torpedo turrets locked on, photon and quantum torpedoes locking on the target. They were locked on key points of the whole structure to make sure the entire thing collapsed when they hit.

"Ready sir."

The ship trembled heavily, a console exploded and steam blew from a repaired conduit.

"Weapons are offline!"

"Damn it!" Jason cursed.

They were out of the fight. Without weapons they were just a damage magnet for the enemy's weapon systems.

"Signal Captain Russell that he is in command."

Another explosion nearly knocked him out of his chair.

"And that he has to be quick about it!"

While the _Highlander_ backed out of the fight, Captain Wayne Russell took command of the remaining forces, locking his weapons on the designated coordinates.

"Time to kiss your butt goodbye" he thought.

The torpedoes launched by his ship were backed up by more ships firing their weapons. They didn't even bother to fire around enemy ships, they just destroyed them in the process, the beams cutting through hulls and torpedoes penetrating armor to explode within the ships. The shields protecting the structure couldn't stand against this for long and collapsed. Explosions tore the ring structure apart, sending pieces of reinforced alloy into all directions. The reactor inside the small space station attached to it exploded, the volatile energy more than enough to destabilize the gate. The lightning bolts around the active center of the gate which was now released from its bandings intensified, the energy now severely damaging anything within its reach. The remaining defensive platforms exploded as the gate continued to destabilize. Ships backed off, out of reach of the possible explosion. For a moment it looked like the distortion was shrinking. It was imploding in on itself. With a large explosion and a powerful shockwave knocking some ships of course for a second until they were able to compensate the gate vanished, leaving nothing behind but a small patch of radiation and a few crackling strings of energy.

What little enemy vessels remained, continued to defend their AI which was now a hopeless cause. Cut off from any reinforcements, the enemy ship, although large and powerful didn't stand a chance against this many vessels. Launching their devastating attacks on the ship, the shields buckled and weapon systems failed. Attack fighters began swarming her, blowing holes in her tortured hull until one of the massive Denali cruisers moved in and charged her plasma beam banks to full power. The relatively thick greenish beams cut through the hull like a knife through butter, shearing off whole sections in the process. Explosions tore though the inside destroying everything in their path. The second AI which could have continued the war was destroyed in a blinding light when reactors breached, leaving nothing behind but debris. The new era of piece was about to see daylight.

_**Authors note: Music track 32.**_

It was over. Kero and his crew as well as Korso's had gathered in the mess hall of the _Highlander_ together with the rest of the Federation ship´s crew who had been unable to attend to their duties because of injuries sustained in the many battles they had seen these days. With that last explosion, the tyranny of the Machine Dominion ended. With their gate gone and their controlling entities destroyed, everything of them that still remained was now nothing more than useless junk. Everyone started cheering with joy, celebrating their well-earned victory over an enemy maybe even more vicious than the dreaded Drej. Looking around at all the different species gathered in such a small space, Korso and his crew realized that there were still a few good things that had come from this conflict. Unity. The worlds of the Republic were united under a single banner. Some species that had not been willing to work with each other under any circumstances had been brought closer together in these hard times. They had been willing to put their differences aside and work together to ensure a better future for their own race and many others. And that was indeed something worth fighting for.


	46. Chapter 44 The Taste of Victory

**The Taste of Victory**

Escaped from the firm grip of her doctor, Akima rushed through the corridors of the USS _Highlander_. The partial crews of several ships from a dozen different worlds were celebrating their well-earned victory over the Machine Dominion or so she had heard. She had to be there. The corridors were mostly empty since almost everyone had gathered inside the mess hall of the massive Federation vessel to raise the glass and just relax after these stressful days. Feeling her aching head, she could understand why the Starfleet medical officer wanted to keep her under observation for just a little longer. She had no trouble using her left arm, which had been broken in two places but the concussion had its leftovers making her slightly dizzy if she walked too fast. The pain in her head forced her to slow down but she was too excited. She wanted to celebrate. To be with her crew, to see her friends again and above all, to be with Cale. When his face, unshaved since the last time she had seen him, appeared in front of her eyes she couldn't restrain herself anymore and took to her heels. She had to go and see him.

The almost musical sound of glasses filled with all kinds of beverages hitting each other together with chatter and laughter filled the _Highlander's_ huge mess hall where many of the current crew had gathered to share a glass. Considering the battles the ship had seen, it was miraculously still intact apart from a few black scorches on the walls and a collapsed bulkhead or two. Outside, the stars passed by at speeds far greater than the speed of light. The _Highlander_ and most of the other ships were on route back to the Andali system. The hadn't sustained any further losses at the last battle, only more structural damage which had caused some ships to set a direct course for the homeworld or call until help arrived due to a disabled warpdrive. Most of them however traveled along with the rest of the fleet on route for the human homeworld. Korso and the crew of the RSS _Valkyrie_ shared a table next to another one surrounded by Kero, Stith, part of their crew and some other Mantrins rescued from escape pods. They couldn't use the chairs for obvious reasons but were standing leg by leg around the large table, with glasses in their clawed hands.

"To the Empire and the Republic!" Kero roared raising his glass filled with Sogowan ale.

All warriors present in the room heard their Prince's toast and roared with him, their load voices drowning out the rest of the conversations until everyone attended. When Kero took a sip and the conversations between everyone continued he was nudged by his First Officer.

"Too bad we couldn't share our experience over a glass of you special drink."

Kero's ears drooped down. Rilas was of course talking about the bottles of Sogowan honey mead he had brought with him when he took command of his ship. He didn't even think about it to share a glass with him after the mission on Aridanis IV as promised. It was quite expensive and mostly drunk at special occasions like this.

"Sixty-sixth hundred and twelfth year of the Anthos Calendar. A very good year. My father gave it to me as a token of good luck."

He sighed.

"Fifteen bottles."

"Yeah, too bad" Rilas replied sipping from his glass of ale.

"Too bad we lost her sir" a voice coming from below reached their ears.

It was Majih, Kero's Chief Engineer. The Lesser Arcanna with the very dark-brown skin and indigo-colored eyes was quite small for a Mantrin but considering the members of his race of Mantrin weren't the largest around he was of normal height. Even smaller than the average human, the tips of his ears barely reached up to Kero's belly. He also had a more slender build than most Mantrins explained by the fact that his race was considered the arboreals of their world, most of them still living in tribes deep within the jungles of Sogowa in the largest of trees. His beak looked more bird-like, like a falcon and because of their lifestyle, his claws were sharper and stronger than average.

"Majih, I didn't know you were aboard."

"I know I'm not the largest but am I that hard to notice?" the small Mantrin laughed.

"I finally more or less had her running like I wanted."

He shook his head, his shorter ears not capable of moving much and sighed softly.

"I'm sorry Majih" Kero said putting his massive hand on his small but still fairly well muscled shoulder.

"I've lost the ship but I've saved the thing that isn't replaceable. You, and the rest of the crew. Well, most of them."

He snorted, thinking about the losses suffered during the battle. Luckily the bodies of the fallen Akrennian officers had been brought to the mortuary aboard the _Highlander_. The hulk of the _Tsun'rhaa_ was lost but a ship was a ship and could be rebuilt. A member of a crew was lost forever.

"They will not be forgotten!" Rilas shouted, bringing out another toast in the honor of the fallen members of their crew and all the warriors who had lost their lives on the battlefield.

He clanked glasses with Stith, both of them emptying their glasses with one big gulp. Stith burped loudly followed by Rilas.

"Sorry" she apologized when Kero flattened an ear.

"Now Majih. If I get a new ship, I want you to be my Chief Engineer again."

Majih looked up, the edges of his falcon-like beak curving into something that resembled a toothy smile.

"Just call me sir, and I'll be there" he replied with a wink.

"Kero."

When Kero looked up to see who called his name he saw Joseph Korso standing next to him. Korso was of average height and well-build but he appeared small next to the large Goureg Prince.

"Hey congratulations to you too Captain" Kero greeted him.

"Thanks and thank you for what you've done Kero. Sacrificing your ship. I'm sorry."

Kero placed his massive hand on Korso's shoulder.

"Don't Korso, it's okay. Better lose a ship than an entire world. That was close to twice if I remember correctly."

Korso grabbed Kero's muscular arm with his and squeezed softly in a friendly manor, feeling thick and strong muscles under the sleeve of Kero's uniform.

"Still, you are to be commended Kero and it will probably happen if we return to New Earth. The people of New Earth owe you, your crew and many more a debt of gratitude."

Kero smiled, revealing two rows of sparkling white.

"I'm sure you would have done the same for my world."

"Korso."

From behind Kero, Stith showed up. The Sogowan Mantrinesse who had been his former weapons expert. He really missed that girl aboard his ship. From what he had heard, she and Kero were engaged and he would likely not see her for a while once they left Earth.

"Good to see you're doing well Stith. Congratulations to you two by the way."

Stith flung an arm around Kero's neck and licked his cheek, rubbing her muzzle against his in a loving way.

"We're gonna get married any time soon. Traditional style eh?" she said.

"Whatever you say Stith" Kero replied returning the favor.

Suddenly their attention was dragged by a rather shouting voice from the corner where a group of Akrennians were sharing a table. A voice some of them recognized out of thousands. Ayko was sitting with her arm around Preed's neck, making love with him and drinking at the same time. Apparently the Akrennians had found some way to make the replicator produce alcohol. Spilling Akrennian ale all over her boyfriend and herself she was clearly drunk and Stith doubted she would remember anything from what she was going to say in the next couple of minutes. It certainly wasn't going to be longer since the rate in which Ayko was consuming alcohol would cause her to drop out soon, only to wake up with a big black hole in her memory and a hangover the size of a planet. When Ayko's rolling eyes found hers she left Preed for what he was and stood up swaying on her legs, spilling the contents of her already half-empty glass over more people who happened to get in the way.

"Whoops, sorry" she hiccupped when the light-green beverage made a huge wet spot on a Starfleet officer's uniform.

"Hey watch it!" he called but she didn't hear it on her way to the Mantrin table.

"Listen everyone! I have an announcement to make!" she shouted to everyone's attention.

She was standing next to Stith with her hand on the Mantrin's shoulder. Stith didn't exactly knew what to do but just held her breath. The stench of alcohol on Ayko's breath and around her entire body certainly wasn't something she wanted in her nose at any time.

"That's right… Wha' wa' your name again?" she asked with a double tongue.

"Stith" she replied trying not to get nauseous.

Alcohol and teeth that didn't get to see a toothbrush too often in their owner's lifetime were a bad combination.

"May I introduce to you all: Stith, the newest addition to my circle of friends. Yeah, that's right and they say Mantrins and Akrennians don't go well together. Am I the first to prove them wrong!"

Giggling and swaying she headed back to her place leaving a dazzled Stith behind.

"Well, she certainly changed her mind" Rilas quoted the thoughts of Kero, Korso and most others of the Mantrin group.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure I like to be in the middle of it" Stith replied a little uneasy.

Suddenly part of the mess hall, the side on which most of the humans were sitting felt quiet for a short moment. When Stith flicked her ears and turned around to see what happened she knew why everyone held their breath.

Cale had been thinking about her since it happened and even more when he and the rest of the crew shared a table without the _Valkyrie_'s pilot and his fiancée. His thoughts were constantly occupied by her absence. He couldn't just stand the fact that she wasn't here, with them, with him. It almost came to the point that he wanted to walk away from the table and spend the rest of the evening beside her bed. But apparently, that wasn't necessary since neither could she spend the evening alone in sickbay. He could swear that he felt her presence, somewhere near. His eyes found her. She was standing in the door opening of the mess leaning against the doorpost, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes twinkling with girlish joy, staring. _My god she's beautiful._ He stood up, slowly at first but eventually he could no longer be in her presence without contact. He started to run and she ran too. Coming closer and closer, he had his arms already stretched out to catch her. In the middle of the mess he caught her in his strong arms and lifted her light weight off the ground, turning a circle before he dropped her back on her feet and grabbed hold of her, never to let go. And she did the same, both her arms around his neck, pressing him so tightly against him that he almost had the feeling he was holding Stith in his arms. When she finally released him he looked right into her eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes that were capable of transmitting the love she felt for him right into his heart.

"You're here" Cale brought out. He had noticed that most of the mess had fallen quiet, accept for a few noisy Akrennians in the back, clearly drunk as one of them demonstrated a little earlier.

"I couldn't feel up to it anymore" she replied softly.

Bringing up his hand to touch her cheek and pull one of the purple locks of her away from her face he brought his mouth closer to hers. He could feel her doing the same until their lips touched. First softly, then it became intimate as she grabbed him by his shoulders and engaged into a fiery scene of love. She didn't care that everyone watched and neither did he. They loved each other and that was everything that counted. After even the Akrennians had fallen silent she broke off, letting herself be embraced by Cale's arms and walked back to the table where the rest of the crew was sitting.

"Look its Akima!" Gune squawked throwing himself against her.

Akima embraced the small alien for a short moment and stroke his bald head.

"Good to see you too Gune" she laughed.

But before she sat down, she heard some heavy footsteps and a small moment later the friend she had been afraid of losing was standing next to her. Stith displayed her friendly smile she only saved for her best of friends.

"Akima, glad to see you back."

Stith lifted her strong arms and embraced the human woman for a moment.

"Oh Stith, I was afraid I would never see you again" she said with her arms around the Mantrin's neck.

"For a moment's notice I was thinking the same when I saw your ship spinning out of control" Stith replied, softly rubbing her friend's back.

"Sorry we're late. D'you care if we join?"

It were Jason and Chrysta. Of course there had to be someone to keep the ship on course.

"No of course not" Korso replied inviting them to sit down.

Jason replicated drinks for Chrysta, himself and refilled the glasses standing on the table before he sat down with an exaggerated sigh.

"Oh, my ship is falling apart. We had to by-pass a lot of the regular conduits and other systems in order to get everything functioning for the moment. And then there was something with a destroyed piece of furniture, a glass table I remember?"

He couldn't hide the smirk appearing on his face when he looked at Stith in particular. Stith's cheeks turned slightly red while she involuntarily scratched her back.

"Yeah sorry for that one. We had a little accident when I wanted to propose to Kero."

"You did? What did he say?" Akima asked, her voice full of joy.

"He said yes" Stith replied a little bit to the ground, laughing girlishly.

"That's wonderful, I'm so happy for you two."

She was genuinely happy for her friend well aware that Cale was going to ask her the same question in a couple of more days. She just knew it. And if he didn't, she would ask him. There was just no way he was going to say 'no'. He was just too sweet for that. He loved her too much. The last evening aboard the _Highlander_ continued with a lot of joy, celebration and the company of friends. It was an evening never to forget.

Next day they arrived back in the Andali system. The _Highlander_ dropped out of warp at the edge with the rest of the fleet, continuing at impulse because it wasn't safe to navigate through the system at high speed at the moment. Pieces of debris were floating everywhere and at warpspeed, those were just as dangerous to any ship as a needle to a soap bubble. Republican ships were still trying to clean up the tons of rubble left after the destruction of the Machine Dominion command vessel. Salvaging what they could and recycling the rest of the junk was their current job as no one else would do it for them. Scattered around Earth, the remains of the lost ships that had fought the great battle for New Earth regularly entered the atmosphere, clearly visible after sundown, each falling star one less memory to what happened here. Since larger pieces didn't entirely burn up and had chance to impact on the surface, they had to be salvaged.

"Everything's fine Jason, you can release us now" Korso said.

Standing on the bridge of the partially repaired _Valkyrie_ he prepared her for a long sit in space dock. He and the rest of the crew currently sharing the bridge with him had packed all of their vital belongings to leave the ship for a while. He had dragged her to so many battles and he was glad to see the shiny blue-greenish marble of New Earth as soon as the _Highlander_ dropped her from her hangar bay. Akima activated the ion engines for the last time, trying not to push them too hard in their damaged state. _And Jason thought his repair crews would have her ready even before the battle so we could participate. _No, even they weren't capable of playing God. As Earth grew larger, he noticed that an unusual number of vessels had gathered around the planet, docked with the station or in high orbit. Most of them were all from worlds within the Republic but he even spotted a few ships from other minor worlds. Korso scoffed in private when he spotted a Fauldran cruiser docked with the _Atlas_ space station, the station currently undergoing extensive repairs.

"So now that we're no longer a minority without a planet, Chancellor Jaxor is ready to talk" he thought.

A group of Mantrin warships, one of them bigger and with a different design orbited the planet. The different one sparked his interest and he thought he already had an idea whose ship that could be.

"This is RSS _Valkyrie _to space station _Atlas_, requesting permission to dock" Brian said, contacting the port authorities before docking with one of the few remaining empty docks.

Even those were undergoing repairs. Everything had seemed to be a priority target to those Machines.

"_Atlas_ to _Valkyrie_, welcome home" the voice of the station's quartermaster replied in a friendly manor.

"Permission granted, please proceed to space dock two, alpha. _Atlas_ out."

After Akima carefully parked the ship in the designated holding area and Cale started to power down all systems, worker bees were already coming in from all sides to take care of the battered vessel. A soft clunk indicated that the docking port was extended and Gune reported that it was pressurized and safe to use.

"Well, that was some adventure" Yani sighed removing her hair clasp and letting her long black hair float free.

"You could say that" Brian replied walking down the metal stairs to the lower level followed by the Asian woman.

They followed the others off the bridge which was now dark, the only light entering the filtered light of the Andali sun via the main window. The Captain of the ship was still standing in front of the big bubble of glass between him and outer space, gazing into the distance, to the ships busy with their vital salvaging work.

"You comin' Captain?" Akima's voice woke him up.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm, coming" he replied walking down the stairs in haste.

"Wow, wait" he added before following her through the exit.

He pressed one last button to shut the large metal blast doors to protect the window and shut off the last of the bridge's monitors. Then he left the bridge behind his pilot, promising himself that he wouldn't set foot here for at least a week. He had heard that the _Heliopolis'_ holodeck systems were finally online and he had been eager to try those. Now he at least got the chance.

Using the new transporter system aboard the _Atlas_ station which was now bug-free they returned to the surface in no time. It was still morning and the temperature was already on the rise, a soft breeze blowing through their hair when they arrived on the space port which was filled with shuttles and other small craft from various worlds. The massive vertical city was standing as a shimmering monument, rising high into the sky. It still wasn't entirely finished yet but most of it was standing, and would be standing for a long time. The _Highlander_ had also started beaming down their passengers and it didn't take long before Kero, Stith and Rilas joined them, Kero a bit anxious about something.

"Is something wrong?" Korso asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kero pointed at a luxurious vessel, larger than most of the others on the space port.

"That is the personal transport ship of my parents" he said making it sound like a disaster.

"I thought I could postpone the reunion just a little longer."

His ears drooped down, clearly dreading to meet his parents. Stith was rolling with her eyes knowing that he was upsetting himself for no reason.

"Kero!" a loud and heavy voice bellowed over the grass field.

Kero winced slightly when hearing his name, the tone of the voice making clear that it could only be one person. When they all looked up Kero's family approached them, the Emperor himself taking the lead followed by his other son and his wife. Zahn was wearing his white open shirt with the few decorations indicating his status. The'lah wore similar clothing for this occasion but she liked to keep it simple most of the time. Rajah was still wearing his EAF uniform and was clearly in a bad mood judging by his facial expression.

"Kero!" The'lah called rushing past her mate to enclose her oldest son in her arms.

In a response to their sudden appearance and because almost everyone knew who they were, the attendants dropped to their knees and bowed deeply in front of the Emperor.

"No, no please" Zahn said signaling them to get up.

"I'm the guest here. If everyone keeps doing that whenever I walk past you're gonna wear out your knees. Please get up."

The'lah had her arms wrapped around her son's neck pressing him so tightly against her that Kero got the impression that his mother wanted to melt with him so that she didn't run the risk of losing him anymore.

"I thought… I thought I lost you" she said.

Kero softy patted his mother's back, feeling her concern.

"Mom, I'm okay, I just… Needed to do something that's all."

"Your father wants to speak to you."

She released him so that Kero could face his father. The expression on Rajah's face didn't bode well but the younger Mantrin with the golden earring and the scarred face decided to wait politely after his father was done speaking.

"Kero my son" Zahn said placing his massive hand on Kero's shoulder.

"Father I… I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?" Zahn asked on a jovial tone and a smirk on his face.

Kero looked up at his father not understanding what he was talking about.

"I've heard about your great and honorable deed Kero. Saving an entire civilization and perhaps more! You should be proud of yourself! You have regained your honor for yourself and for our House."

Zahn let out a laugh that sounded like a bark. He was a bit overwhelmed when his son embraced him, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you father" he brought out softly.

"You have done admirably Kero" Zahn replied when Kero let go of him.

A smile appeared on his face, his right hand still touching his son's shoulder.

"But Kero? Try to keep the ship in one piece next time."

Kero's cheeks turned red and he smiled faintly.

"I will father" he said more to his feet.

When Zahn was done talking Rajah stepped forward and grabbed him by his shoulders.

"Kero! How could you do that?!" he shouted shaking him up.

"I had to hear from someone else that you were still alive! I would like to beat you up or something but for some reason I can't. You're a war hero. And I was thinking that you were dead!"

Kero flung an arm around his brother's shoulder and laughed, pressing him against his chest in a friendly way.

"Sorry, we were in quite a hurry, otherwise I would have returned to the surface."

There was the old Rajah again, grouchy like always. In the mean time Zahn was greeting some of the other members of his son´s crew.

"We're so honored to meet you in person my lord" Naea said solemnly.

She and her sister fell on one knee to show respect to the ruler of the Empire.

"And I'm honored to meet the bravest of warriors known in our galaxy" Zahn replied making a slight bow for all of the attendants.

"You're just loving this aren't you?" The'lah scoffed.

"But I was just…"

"Yeah right, just asking for even more attention. Well let's go, a little celebration is in order."

The'lah began walking back to the city on her own, eventually followed by the crews of the _Son of the Empire_ and _Valkyrie_.

"That's right Kero. I have arranged a special toast in your honor with an even more special drink" Zahn said with a smirk from ear to ear.

That reminded Kero that they were still missing a few people. He felt obligated to ask them to join since this would probably their only chance to taste a good glass of Sogowan honey mead in their lifetime. He brought his wristcom. to his muzzle to contact the _Highlander_.

"Kero to Captain Pierce."

"Pierce here, what can I do for you Prince Kero?"

"Well, my father is throwing a little party for me and my friends so I thought you and Chrysta might wanna join us?"

"How can I refuse a request from the Emperor and his son?"

Only moments later, everyone who knew the Prince of the Empire had gathered inside the most popular establishment of the entire _Heliopolis_. The _Lighthouse_ had been recently restructured to accommodate more people and Harry actually had a few extra people assisting him behind the bar at the moment. It was very crowded and pleasant but awfully warm with so many bodies of both humans and aliens in such a small space.

"This is the most delicious stuff I've ever tasted" Jason said in astonishment taking another sip of the gold-colored beverage brewed by Mantrins.

Not only the sweet smell but also the taste was like nothing his nose and tongue had ever experienced.

"I'm glad you guys like it" Kero laughed bringing his own glass to his muzzle.

His father certainly knew how to exaggerate. He had brought a hundred bottles with him so that everyone could celebrate all they want. Trying to find a less crowded corner of the establishment, Kero and some of his higher ranking officers had gathered together with the _Valkyrie_'s crew and the two commanding officers of the USS _Highlander_. The entire bar was filled with people from the ships that had participated in the battles against the Machines, from all the different worlds of the Republic.

"Where are Ayko and Preed exactly? I don't see them anywhere" Akima remarked trying to spot the two Akrennians between the crowd.

Everyone was here, why would they be on their own?

"Can't say I mind" Stith replied sipping from her drink.

Kero had been right about this stuff. It would make you forget everything you had drunk before.

"Oh c'mon Stith, they have helped us out too, fighting for our worlds."

"All right, all right, I like the girl, sort of."

Her hate towards Preed was still just as big as before all of this. Ayko was okay, or at least she turned out to be okay after all.

"_Highlander_ to Captain Pierce."

"Pierce here."

"Captain, Admiral Cunnington wants to speak to you. He has important news that needs your attention."

Jason hesitated. He very well knew this could be important and that he would be negligent to his duties if he didn't contact the Admiral but if he were really honest, he rather wanted to have a break. Bending the rules just a little, he decided to postpone the meeting with John for just a few moments.

"Tell the Admiral that I'm in the middle of an important meeting. I'll contact him later."

The officer he had left in command of the ship didn't reply immediately but acknowledged and promised to relay the message back to the Admiral. He picked up the conversation with Korso where he left it. That was of course until Cunnington decided to show up in person. He didn't see that one coming and he was a bit startled when the Admiral was suddenly standing next to him.

"So this is what you mean by 'an important meeting'."

For a moment it looked like his backside was on fire. Chrysta and the others had never seen someone get up from a chair that quickly. Jason smoothed the wrinkles out of his uniform and straightened his back.

"Sir I…"

The Admiral put him at ease by laying a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"It's all right Captain. I understand."

John smiled when Jason let go of the tense position he got himself into.

"I understand you want to take a break, nothing wrong with that. You are to be commended Jason, I'll make sure you do. You've done more than you can possibly handle."

"With all due respect sir, that's already gonna happen. In about two hours there will be a ceremony to honor everyone who has some participation in this conflict."

"Needless to say you're gonna be part of it" John replied with a laugh.

"Well, there's no emergency situation so I'll leave it off the record but this is about you Jason. You have been of invaluable service to the Federation and the new Republic but it's time for you to return home."

"I understand sir" Jason replied with a nod.

Finally he was going to see Sandra, Alex and Jessica again. His children were growing up without their father and Sandra had some understanding for him being a career officer but it was of course not the most wishable situation. Maybe he should take those free days off after so many weeks… no months of duty and get back to Earth for a couple of days, or weeks now that he was at it.

"When you're ready, report to Starbase _Titan_ and we'll open the gate to the Alpha Quadrant Captain."

The Alpha Quadrant. That was his home, not here. There had been a war raging out there and the Federation had been caught in the middle of it.

"Sir, if I may ask, what's the situation?"

John sighed, his face not predicting any immediate good news.

"Well, after I saw what happened here, I've relayed to information directly back to Command. They have been searching for and are targeting the worlds where the Machines have established their controlling entities. We're slowly regaining the territories we've lost to their advancing forces. The situation is improving but it's still too early to celebrate like you're all doing right now."

"Well maybe now it is our time to help you out" Cale replied.

John smiled at the young man. He liked his enthusiasm but the humans of New Earth simply didn't have the amount of ships to be of any help. Even the Federation was having trouble with the strange situation. Having the galaxy riddled with holes wasn't exactly the thing anyone could have expected.

"I appreciate the offer but your people should concentrate on rebuilding your world and fleet and build more alliances to build-up a stronger presence in your galaxy. Closing one hole doesn't mean that the quadrant is completely without any dangers."

"Right. But you've done so much for us. We still wanna help."

"I have no reason to doubt that but we can hold our own for the moment. Think about your own world. It's vulnerable and must be protected from harm."

Cale realized the Starfleet Admiral was right. The human race was far from what they had been and it would still take a while before their influence would be as big as before. _They_ had build this alliance but humans were still a minority. John wanted to walk away but was held back by Jason's voice.

"Admiral? I know it's a little too early to celebrate but, wanna share a glass with me and everyone else?"

Looking at all the happy faces staring at him John shook his head.

"You know we're not supposed to drink on duty Captain" he said on a warning tone.

"But for this time, I'll make an exception."

John took a seat at the same table and joined the conversation going on between the crews about their experiences, while letting himself be amazed by the taste of a good glass of Sogowan honey mead. It was good that after all the terrible things that happened, they could still laugh about some of the things they experienced.

"I actually heard some reports that the Machines had a reinforcement fleet coming in from Xirosa" Rilas told.

"One of the ships escorting your father's ship had detected them on their patrol."

Rilas laughed when he thought about what the Captain of that ship had told him.

"Everything that dropped out of warp after the AI had been destroyed and they lost the carrying signal was a huge cloud of shrapnel."

The others joined him in his laughter. Eventually Ayko and Preed showed up, both of them drunk of course just like most of the Akrennians around the place. She had decided to stay on New Earth with Preed for some time before returning to Akrennia. Telling them something about having a great time here she left, most likely to refill her empty glass again.

"That woman is going to drink herself into a coma" Akima said staring at her until she disappeared into the crowd with Preed.

Stith chuckled.

"Akrennians are much more fun when they're drunk. I think I like 'em better this way."

Most of them had to laugh. After some time had passed, most of the attendants left except from the ones who had their brain tissue soaked with alcohol and were sleeping on the tables, half-filled glasses still in their hands. They had to be dressed as officers for the ceremony that was still to come.


	47. Chapter 45 Not a Definite Farewell

**Not a Definite Farewell**

On his way to one of the large medical facilities of the city, Chris wondered where his friend could be. His name hadn't been on any of the casualty or missing in action lists so he had to be alive. The _Arcadia_ had been heavily damaged, life-support failing and the atmosphere leaking from several hull breaches. She had lost a lot of her large crew but her Captain hadn't been among them. Monitoring the reports about the whereabouts of the injured he was on his way to sickbay seven b, the place where, according to the computer, Michael Jericho would be recovering from his injuries.

The medical facility was huge, dozens of beds, several doctors checking up on their patients hooked up to all kinds of beeping and whirring machines. Everyone who walked in here could see what battles did to people. It was a terrible sight to see people, both humans and aliens without arms or legs waiting for a prothesis. Medical technology was quite advanced these days but growing a new limb that wouldn't be instantly rejected by the patient's body was something still close to impossible. He walked past the bed of a Solbrechtian, missing two out of four arms. His face was horribly mutilated and needed a full reconstruction in order to be recognizable by his own species. It was impossible to look at it without feeling your stomach retract yet Chris was unable to tear his eyes from the sight.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

The female human doctor was able to tear his eyes from the sight for him, the soft but sudden voice startling him. Chris was shocked by everything he saw here. The horrible sight, the screaming of patients made his eyes fill themselves with tears. Blinking them away and swallowing he looked at the doctor. She was middle-aged, wearing a white doctor's coat and judging by the fact how cool she remained in this room full of pain and misery she had plenty of experience in these situations.

"It's terrible" Chris brought out, a sigh escaping his mouth.

"Yeah, I know how you feel. In the first hour after the battle was over this place was overcrowded with bleeding and dying people."

She shook her head, the images still clearly in her mind. As a doctor she _had_ to remain cool under these situations or it would cost unnecessary lives.

"Are you looking for someone in particular?"

"Yes I…"

"Let me go you filthy… (ugly curse in alien language)!"

When Chris looked up to see what happened he could see three doctors trying to calm down a female Mantrin who had gotten up from her bed. She had all kinds of probes and equipment still attached to her body and pulled the medical equipment on wheels with her in her rage.

"Please calm down, we're only trying to help you!" one of the doctors said touching her arm.

He better should have tried evading the foot driven by an overpowered leg that was thrown in his direction. The sound of a knee bending in the wrong way accompanied his scream when his leg was kicked from underneath his body and he hit the floor trying to get away from the delirious alien woman. Blood oozed from the open fracture over the floor.

"You're gonna be the ones who need help if you don't let go of me!" she yelled.

She was a Sogowan crossed with an Orketh as Chris could determine from her partially exposed upper body. Pulling the tubes and wires from the patches on her body with a tug she was mowing with her fists on her way to the exit.

"Oh no, here we go again" the female doctor who had been talking to Chris said stepping up the currently dangerous alien woman.

"Can you help me with this? She's delirious and is recovering from a head trauma. She probably doesn't even know who she is at the moment."

Considering he could also bring worlds together and make species that had been on the brink of war in the past reason with each other he decided to give it a try. However, back in the Senate, his life hadn´t been in immediate danger.

"Get out of my way or I'll kill both of you!" she spat when Chris and the human doctor blocked her path.

"We are here to help you. You're injured!" she said waving with her arms.

"Move it!" the Mantrinesse shouted.

"People are dying up there!"

"This is your plan?" Chris asked evading the alien's massive clawed foot.

"I'm still working on the details!" the woman replied.

"The name is Lisa by the way."

"Chris" he replied jumping a step back.

Lisa however got too close and landed in the Mantrin's large clawed fists.

"Why don't you just let go of me?!" she yelled in her face.

Completely out of options, Lisa dangled weakly in her strong claws. That was until Chris stepped up to the Mantrin and put a hand on her strong muscular arm trying to reason with the confused woman.

"Please, you're hurting the people you're trying to save."

For a moment she hesitated, turning her head into his direction with a tug, the anger flickering in her copper-colored eyes.

"The war is over. You've… been out for a day."

Speaking at a very controlled and gentle tone, Chris tried to gain her trust.

"Please, you're hurting us. You're causing harm on the people you want to fight for."

Very slowly the alien woman lowered her arms, putting Lisa back on the floor who felt back against an empty bed on the opposite sight of the alien in relief. The Mantrinesse felt on her first set of knees on the floor of the sickbay and sobbed. Her ears drooped down and her massive shoulders started to shake. With tears rolling down her cheeks she looked up at Chris and then at Lisa.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

She started to cry, not like a woman her age but like a young and confused girl. Chris dropped at her side, feeling sorry for her at the moment. Softly rubbing her shoulder he comforted her.

"Hey, it's all right. You're just confused that's all. What is your name?"

"I… I don't remember" she sobbed.

Helping her to get up and get back to her bed together with two other doctors while Lisa took care of the man who couldn't evade her violent kick he spotted Jericho. He had been watching the entire scene and couldn't exactly do much else. He never would have expected that his career would take this direction. Being in battle from day one, being knocked out in the middle of it to eventually wake up in a hospital with doctors telling you that your legs are paralyzed. From the reports of his crew he heard that his motionless body had been helplessly tossed around during the last minutes of the fight when the command ship started firing in all directions turning him into one big bruise. Most of the visible damage had been repaired except from some wounds in his face and back but that was where most of the damage had been done. The nervous system in his spinal column had taken damage; the thin delicate fibers trapped turning his legs into two useless pieces of meat. At least that was the way he saw it. The doctors told him that what he needed was a very delicate and long-term operation that wasn't without any risks. To repair the damage to his nervous system they needed to expose it, which could lead to a lethal infection. After some long thought he had decided to take the risk as spending the rest of his life in a hover chair wasn't very appealing either. But when Chris, who had become a friend in such a short amount of time was standing next to his bed it encouraged him to go through with the operation and erase any doubts about it. _This is the thirty-first century. Nothing is impossible anymore. _

"Hi Michael" Chris said at a somber tone.

He picked a chair, placed it next to Jericho's bed and smiled faintly.

"I kept a seat warm for you at that table we promised to meet again."

Jericho smiled back, happier than Chris.

"And then they say I look awful. Why the long face? I survived and Earth is still here."

Chris sighed.

"You clearly haven't been looking around in this place. It's terrible."

"Well, how could I? I'm not going anywhere."

For some reason the calm tone at which his friend spoke made Chris angry. How could he remain so calm under everything that happened? People from other worlds died to save theirs and it almost looked like he didn't even care.

"Damn it Michael! This is not some game. Do you even know how many lives were lost because of this war? So many casualties in a few weeks time!"

Jericho stared up into the angry eyes of his friend. Then he turned them down. Chris really cared for the lives of others. It was not that he was completely insensitive forwhat happened but what else could they have done? Their attempts to keep the losses to a minimum using robotic fighters saved many pilots their lives but there were still some people who needed to pick up a weapon and fight.

"What do you suggest we should have done Chris? Just take everything we have and flee? If we run away they'll just come after us."

Chris shook his head and let out a deep sigh.

"You're right. But how can we be sure that we've seen the last of them? In the other universe those Machines are busy tearing things apart too. They're everywhere."

"Then we will defeat them again" Jericho replied with great determination.

Chris admired the Captain's bravery. With people like him in their middle it might just give them the advantage in a battle.

"You deserve a commendation. In about an hour, there will be held a ceremony outside for everyone who participated in this war."

Jericho smiled, trying his legs. He still couldn't feel anything in the part of his body under his waist. They could just as well amputate his legs if the operation failed. They were now more or less useless anyway; just two pieces of dead weight.

"It will be a little difficult for me to attend."

Chris placed his hand on his shoulder, smiling.

"I'll help you. Let me get you a hover chair."

He stood up and left, returning a moment later with a chair powered by a small anti-grav pad used to carry the incapacitated around. As Chris helped Jericho off the bed and onto the chair, the Captain of the _Arcadia_ realized that there were indeed things worth fighting for, friendship being one of them.

"Cale you still aren't dressed. Hurry up!"

They were expected at the ceremony in less than an hour and Cale was still sitting on the sofa in nothing more than a T-shirt and his pants. Akima was already wearing her neat dress uniform, navy blue just like the standard duty uniform but with gold accents. It agitated her that Cale was still hanging on the sofa in their apartment pretending he had all the time in the world, claiming he was tired. They all were but if he wanted a career in the Republican fleet he could at least act like an officer.

"Relax; I only have to put on the clothes. I'm tired of wearing uniforms, day after day."

Akima stood in front of her fiancée, arms crossed and her face expressing her disapproval. She sat down next to him on the sofa, still not agreeing with him. You also need to do something about your hair. It looks like you've combed it using an explosive. She moved through his blonde hair with her hand which he didn't seem to like after which he finally stood up.

"All right, I'm going" he said trying to comb his hair using his hand, only to find out she was right.

Suddenly he was held back by Akima who grabbed his arm with the Qu'utchaa on it and pulled him back on the sofa. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek, her eyes locked on to the sword with the ring of spike vine surrounding it. It was remarkable how this form of Qu'utian symbolism was suitable for everything they had gone through. Victory through persistence. Only by working together they had managed to defeat their common enemy. When Cale noticed her looking at the tattoo she unwillingly reminded him of Tek again. He could clearly remember the day he traveled with the Vusstran scientist to Qu'ut Minor where he received the Qu'utchaa as a gift and honor from the leader of the Qu'utians. Akima listened when he told her this, completely forgetting about what she told him about getting dressed.

"You should look for him Cale" she said reminding him about what he promised himself.

"I will."

The gentle chime of the doorbell interrupted their little chatter. Without asking who wanted to come in Akima gave permission to enter.

"Oh, hi Kero" she said inviting him to their living space.

Before entering, Kero suspiciously looked if anyone followed him before he led the door close behind him. The huge Mantrin took up a lot of space in the living room of their apartment when he entered.

"Is something wrong?" Cale asked with a raised eyebrow.

The Prince sat down on the largest of the two sofas, taking up most of the available space. He was softly tapping with his tail on the pillows and behaved a little awkward.

"Just making sure that Stith didn't follow me here."

He took a deep breath.

"There is something I need your help with and it might seem a little strange that I'm asking this to you guys."

Akima and Cale looked at each other, not sure what he was talking about.

"Go on" they replied in unison.

"Well, the situation is this: Stith wanted to have a traditional Mantrin wedding. You must know that it is not very common nowadays to get married in traditional style. I don't know what they do in the colonies but…"

Still not sure about what he wanted to tell them Akima encouraged him to continue.

"If you want to help me, you should know some more about our mating rituals."

In an instant he had their attention. Since this was a private subject, it was a little difficult to talk about and they normally didn't share such details with outsiders. But he needed their help in this case.

"Go on, I'd be interested. Aaah!"

Kero chuckled as Cale received an elbow in his side.

"That's okay Akima. If you wanna know more about our mating rituals we've gotta go back a long time."

Cale stood up and rushed to the other room to get his uniform. He didn't want to miss anything from what Kero was about to tell but Akima was right and if he didn't want to rush in the last couple of minutes and forget all the important details he had to get dressed.

"Wait a sec while I get my uniform."

A tiny moment later he got back, getting dressed as Kero told them his story.

"Long before we traveled to the stars for the first time we lived in primitive tribes. We used little to no technology as most of us were happy living a simplistic life. Many of us still do by the way. There are quite a lot of us still living by those standards."

He laughed.

"That must have been days. The more conservative of our species even choose a simple life above technology and abandoned their modern lives. In those days, and even before we became sentient, getting yourself a mate was a far bigger challenge. We used to sing for our females and in some cases even fight for them."

Cale shrugged.

"Well seems simple enough to me. Challenge the person who dares to try and claim your mate as his and beat him. Winner takes girl."

Kero smirked at Cale's remark.

"I wish it were that simple. Fighting is done rarely among the civilized but despite that it isn't without danger. Some of us are even prepared to fight to the death for their mate."

"That's an awful lot of trouble for getting married" Akima remarked a bit shocked.

"It might seem like trouble to you but that's how we do things. But we're straying from the subject here."

The expression on the Prince's face turned serious.

"The other thing is the actual problem. Challenging one other for a fight is practically only done in the tribes but singing is, although uncommon, still something done on traditional weddings. If Stith wants to get married traditional style I have to sing for her."

Both Akima's and Cale's mouth dropped open. This really came as a surprise. Akima just thought he wanted them to help him with preparations for their wedding and invite them to Sogowa Prime but this was an unsuspected little twist.

"You're kiddin', right? I didn't know your species could sing" Cale brought out.

Kero smirked.

"I'm afraid I'm dead serious and in fact, many of us can. It is too bad most of us use their vocal cords only to produce battle cries. But the problem is, records of those days have been lost and I can't seem to find any Mantrin love songs."

He had a hopeful look in his bright blue eyes.

"I heard you humans know a lot about romance. Maybe there's human love song I can sing for her. You're both invited to the wedding of course."

"That's so sweet. We're honored Kero" Akima replied.

She didn't know Mantrins and especially her tough friend Stith could be romantic. Every species had some way to make love but indeed, she rather expected Mantrins to fight for their mates than to sing. Apparently they used to do both.

"We'll help you Kero. Over the years, humans have sung thousands of love songs, not just for weddings but also just for listening."

"Thank you" Kero replied letting out a sigh of relief in his mind.

While Akima stood up and used the screen in the living room to have the city's computer system compile a whole list of love songs with all the song texts included Cale finished dressing.

"Hey Kero, from what I understand, Sogowa Prime is not the Mantrin's actual homeworld."

"That's correct" Kero replied.

"And you wanna know what happened?"

It was more like stating a fact than asking a question. From what he heard when he told Stith the real version of the story, he understood that even among his own race there were many still not certain about what really happened.

"Please" Cale replied sitting down on the other sofa.

"Our race is quite old you know. The first time we traveled to the stars was a long time ago, even before we were forced to leave Mantra. The ecological disaster that destroyed the planet's ecosystem and poisoned the atmosphere forced us to find a new suitable home for our race. We failed. Terraforming was the only option and that would take a lot of time. Our colonies on Solbrecht and some other worlds are from that time since there were no immediate habitable planets in the direct vicinity. They already exist for hundreds of years."

Kero shook his head.

"After we terraformed Sogowa Prime as it is now, many of use chose to abandon technology and live in primitive tribes without it. They were afraid that technology had been the cause for the destruction of our world. Some of us lived a modern life in cities but it took a long time before we turned our faces to the stars once more. Since we already had the knowledge, our technology rapidly evolved ever since we started to rebuild our spaceships."

Cale had been listening as long as Kero spoke, intrigued by his story. It was unbelievable. They had lost their world too once, only due to natural causes instead of a dangerous alien race.

"One day we're hoping to return to our native homeworld, and return it to its original state. Your father's _Titan_ project makes that possible Cale."

He was right. Using a modified version of the _Titan_'s terraforming technology, they were able to restore Mantra's ecosystem back to how it was before.

"Of course Kero. My father wanted his technology to be used to the benefit of all species. I hope that his invention will help your species to rebuild your original homeworld."

Now that Akima made him think about it, maybe they could even restore Qu'ut Prime back to its original state. The Qu'utians had also lost their homeworld to the Drej some time ago. There was nothing left of it except debris, an asteroid field surrounding Qu'ut Minor like a natural barrier. The surviving Qu'utians lived in underground cities on their second world, safe from harm where no one could find them. Kero smiled.

"Thanks Cale. You humans always seem willing to help other people out."

"Don't thank me yet" he replied putting the finishing touch to his dress uniform.

Heading for the bathroom to do something about his hair he asked Kero to excuse him. Looking into the mirror he was a bit shocked. The Republican dress uniform was actually a bit too formal for his taste. Navy blue with golden accents on collar, shoulders and lapels. After he did something about his unruly blonde hair which made him realize he needed a haircut he returned to the living room where Kero was still waiting for the computer to finish.

"Wow, you look marvelous" Akima remarked with a wink.

"You gotta be kidding me" Cale replied rather aggravated.

"I think it's very neat" Kero complimented.

"I look like a general from the 18th century! Who designs these uniforms anyway?"

"Done" Akima said pulling the datamodule from the slot.

Kero stood up, his height surpassing theirs by almost half a meter.

"Here you go. Now you just need to pick one and practice your singing voice."

He thanked Akima when she pressed the datamodule in his large clawed hand and slit it in the pocket of his pants.

"It'll work out. You'll be surprised; I promise."

Akima stared up in his bright blue eyes. She could clearly see why her friend loved this guy. From what she understood from their species, he was handsome and kind of sweet too.

"You're sweet for a member of your species you know."

Kero had to laugh, revealing his sparkling white teeth.

"Stith told me you've said that."

"Hello? Is _this_ your boyfriend now?" Cale who had been listening said.

Kero looked at him, a smile still present on his face.

"Oohh, you wanna fight for her? Afraid that I ask her on a date?" he joked.

The huge Goureg assumed a more stable position on his legs and bowed slightly through his knees. His ears flattened on his head, his eyes narrowed to slits and he let out a growl from deep within his throat. But who looked past his frightening appearance, could clearly see that he was teasing Cale.

"I think I'll pass. I don't wanna die at such a young age you know" Cale replied.

Despite the fact that he was just joking, Kero could be quite frightening when acting like this. His hostile expression disappeared and his friendliness reappeared out of nowhere.

"Thanks again for your help. I expect you two at the wedding."

He winked.

"We'll be there. C'mon Cale lets go."

"Ready everyone?" said Korso who just let himself in.

He was wearing the same uniform as Cale but for some reason it just fit him better. Korso's brown beard had been trimmed short and it would be perfectly clear to anyone that he was a ship's Captain.

"Captain" he greeted Kero.

The Prince replied with a slight nod and left the apartment.

"See you guys below."

Korso crossed his arms and looked at his Chief engineer. It was far too formal for a guy his age and the uniform made him look even more like a teenager than the standard duty uniform. Cale was already in a foul mood that the uniform looked far better on his superior but the remark that left Korso's mouth and was meant for him really caused him to lose his temper.

"Outstanding. Who invited him along?"

"Just because you're not on duty doesn't mean I'm not your Captain Lieutenant" Korso laughed.

"We're ready Captain" Akima answered his initial question.

She knew Cale would rather skip the whole thing and request a different uniform first but her look was enough to drag him with her.

"C'mon Cale, it's not that bad. I'm sure no one will notice."

"If they have their eyes in their pockets, no" Korso chuckled.

"Joseph, shut up!" Akima snarled flinging an arm around her fiancée's neck.

Korso just couldn't resist making another remark like that but the dangerous look of his pilot withheld him from making another one. Stepping into the nearest turbolift, already occupied by some other Republican officers they headed down. Construction of more cities with a similar ideology as the _Heliopolis_ in mind had been started on various other places over the planet but since this was still the largest one, had the addition of the Senate and had been almost finished, most of the people who had fought in the war were from here or had a temporary residence in here. It had become a melting pot of different cultures on its own, one that would continue to grow over time.

_**Authors note: Music track 33.**_

Hundreds of people had gathered outside the _Heliopolis_ to be commended for their honor and their deeds during the war. The temperature outside was pleasant, a little too warm for some species including the humans in their uniforms but the sun was casting its shine on their heads instead of clouds dropping their contents. It didn't rain very often on New Earth but if it did, it ensured you were soaked till your underwear if you didn't find shelter soon. Officials and high-ranking officers of the Republican fleet were walking through the rows of officers from a dozen different worlds to honor them and pin a medal to their chest. No one was left out; everyone did their part in the war. Receiving a distinction was only for those who put their lives at risk to save others. These people did nothing more than that. Kero was standing in one of the foremost rows, Rilas at his left and Stith at his right. He felt so proud as his parents watched how he received a distinction for his actions. And not just distinction. When the Commander in Chief of the Republican Fleet himself stood in front of him he made himself look even taller then he already was and straightened his back. The Admiral himself made slight bow because he very well knew who he was dealing with here.

"Prince Kero from the House of Tiraya, son of Emperor Zahn and Empress The'lah, I hereby reward you with the Medal of Honor for you acts of outstanding gallantry at the risk of your own life beyond the call of duty. I also want to thank you personally for saving our world and those of many others."

Kero felt something press on his chest and when he looked down, a beautifully decorated shiny golden medal on a ribbon was pinned on his uniform.

"Yes sir, thank you sir."

When the Admiral passed on to Rilas he was softly nudged by Stith.

"Now you can add another one to your collection" she said with a wink.

Stith herself had also received a Silver Star for Valor for her bravery and her actions on Aridanis. The way he saw it, everyone deserved a commendation for their bravery and that was exactly what most of them received. Everyone had a medal of some kind pinned on their chest when he looked around. Even Rajah and the rest of the members of the EAF team, including Nunchaku received a special distinction for their actions on Aridanis. Perhaps they did the most important job of all. He was glad to see that Azkun didn't try to eat the guy who pinned her medal on her chest. The female Ryrjhii was far more aggressive than most Mantrins and even a little too much for his taste.

After the ceremony and the Republican anthem he gathered with friends, a little out of the crowd. Everyone had received a distinction. Korso was proud to wear a Silver Star for Valor on his chest just like the members of the EAF team including his brother Rajah. The _Valkyrie_'s crew had received their Bronze Stars for their actions in the _Aridanis_ system and even Gune, had received a technological achievement award next to his Bronze Star for his contribution to the drone technology. His proof-off concept had indirectly led to the idea of the _Dominator. _The Grepoan had never been so proud of himself and not without reason. A Bronze Star for Valor is not exactly a small thank you.

"You did it brother. A Medal of Honor, wow, that's something" Rajah praised.

"Thanks Rajah. A Silver Star is not exactly a bad thing either."

Rajah smiled and craned his head when a soft growling reached his ears. It was Azkun and Nunchaku who were making love with each other. Azkun was rubbing her hooked beak against Nunchaku's throat and was softly licking him making purring sounds frequently interrupted by a soft growl. Nunchaku returned her affection by licking her left ear.

"Looks like they definitely found each other" Kero remarked with a smile.

"They've been unable to part from each other ever since we arrived here" Rajah replied shaking his head.

"When you get a new ship, you're gonna have at least one crewman less, or you gain one. Hey watch it!"

The tail of the pitch-black female Ryrjhii slapped his back when she pushed Nunchaku over. He fell on his back and she dove on him, the two Ryrjhii Mantrins rolling in the grass, using their enormously powerful legs to gain the upper hand. For them it was just playing, for anyone else it could be a deadly battle. Watching them biting and licking each other non of them had seen Preed coming, until Stith of course got him in her eye. Her eyes immediately fell on the medal on his chest and couldn't resist sneering.

"Okay guys, what is wrong with this picture?" she scoffed staring at the Akrennian like he was something filthy under her feet.

"Preed you, you've been awarded" Akima said like she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Well, I did my part when the Captain was in danger" he simply replied with his oily voice.

Stith flicked an ear.

"I could have known that he would only act in self-interest."

Preed pretended like he didn't hear that and joined their little circle to the annoyance of the Mantrin who had been his fellow crewmate for some time. Only now did Akima and Cale who were standing next to him notice the sourly smell that seemed to radiate from his entire body.

"Where is Ayko actually? I thought she would be commended as well."

"She couldn't come. She… threw up on me."

Stith couldn't help laughing and most of the Mantrins in the group laughed with her.

"Splendid. Just splendid" she brought out.

Preed however reacted differently than what she was used to from him.

"It's not what _you_ think" he spat.

"She had too much to drink and will probably have the worst hangover ever when she wakes up but I think she's okay for the most part."

"Hi guys" Jason said cheerfully when he joined them.

He certainly did his job too, judging by the Silver Star next to his Starfleet combadge. However he brought them some sad news: He was going to leave in a few hours. The _Highlander_ was set to head back to the Alpha Quadrant on the other side of the gate and that meant that they had to say goodbye. He had been with them for almost a full month now and it was time for him to return. To get back to his Earth and his family but not before saying goodbye to everyone and join the friends he had made here for one last after party. A few moments later the Emperor and his wife joined them. Zahn and The'lah faced both their son's with visible pride in their eyes, taking them apart from the rest of the group to speak in more or less in private.

"I'm so proud of both of you" Zahn's heavy voice bellowed out over the open.

He put his hands on both his sons' shoulders and squeezed softly.

"You both helped to crush our enemies and stop them dead in their tracks."

"Thank you father" both Princes replied.

Zahn embraced them both firmly but his expression turned serious afterwards.

"My ship will depart in a few hours. There are some things I have to take care of now that I'm here, like a permanent Imperial presence in the Senate. Maybe even a colony on New Earth but after that we have to return. There's someone back home who wants to see you both for one last time."

Kero suddenly felt his happiness fade away, making place for an unpleasant feeling. Due to recent events he nearly forgot about her. Of course he knew what his father was talking about. Apparently Rajah got the same feeling cause his ears drooped down. He didn't even have to ask his parents about it. Myrzah's condition had worsened severely and she had promised to wait for her grandchildren to come home. His father told him that she was very weak and on the verge of letting her soul leave her weakened body, the only thing preventing from doing so was the fact that she wanted to see both Rajah and him for one last time.

_**Authors note: Music track 34.**_

For one last time the crews of the _Valkyrie_, _Son of the Empire_ and _Highlander_ had gathered under the shiny stars of the remarkably clear Andali night sky. Nightfall had brought a farewell to the Captains and crews of three different worlds. Of course it was difficult for them to say goodbye to people they considered friends but it was more or less inevitable. As small groups of Starfleet personnel from the _Highlander_ were beamed aboard, only Jason and Chrysta remained.

"I'm afraid I have to take my leave on you all now. It has been an honor to be working with you guys and I hope one day we will work together again. To work on a better future, without wars and suffering as mister Laroc said."

He shook Korso's hand first. Korso laid his hand on Jason's other shoulder.

"Chin up Jason. And you too Chrysta. I hope to see you again one day."

Jason smiled, his dark eyes twinkling in the lights of the city in the background.

"Be careful what you say Joseph. When we meet again, it'll probably mean trouble. Be vigilant and report anything suspicious to command. As far as I'm concerned the battle is not over yet. But nonetheless I'm confident that we'll see each other one day."

"You've done so much for us, how can we thank you for all of this?"

Jason shrugged. Of course he did a lot for the people of New Earth and helped them to rebuild their homeworld but they did most of the work.

"Well what did I do? I only brought some advanced technology into capable hands. You did most of it yourself."

"Yeah but thanks anyway, for your help."

After Korso came Brian.

"I heard from Cale here that the cloaking device has been handed over to your people."

"That's correct" Cale added.

"I heard that the engineers weren't too happy that part of it was fried but considering it helped us saved worlds, I hope that isn't too much of a problem."

"I'll send you the bill."

Smirking because of the expression on Cale's face because of the serious tone on which he had spoken he shook the _Valkyrie_'s First Officer's and it's chief engineer's hand.

"I like you Cale. You have a certain spirit that's highly contagious. Watch out with it."

Cale smiled.

"I will. Thank you Captain."

"One day, I want to fly that ship of yours Captain" Akima said.

"I'm sure you'll show me what flying is. The things you can do behind a ship's helm."

Her maneuvers were about to become famous through the spiral arm. He had to admit, the Asian woman with the black and purple hair could do things with a ship that you would swear she became part of it once she touched those controls. In secret, he would love to see her take the _Highlander_'s helm. After shaking hands with all the members of the _Vallkyrie_ crew he came across Kero. He looked up into the Mantrin Prince's bright blue eyes. Instead of the regular twinkling friendliness, they now only showed disappointment and a trickle of sadness. He sighed.

"Too bad you have to leave. I wanted to invite both of you to Sogowa once more."

"And I would love to visit your world again. I didn't even have the time to take a close look at your culture. Stith, Kero, I wish both of you all the health and happiness you could wish for."

"Thanks Jason" Kero replied placing his massive clawed hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll never forget that day you showed me your holodeck" Stith said, an evil grin playing on her lips when she thought about those two amazing hours.

She rarely got the chance to put her fighting skills to the test like that. In addition she got the chance to fight in a legendary battle. One that took place before she was even born. Of course Rajah wasn't skipped either. The aggressive black-skinned Goureg with the scarred face and the golden earring was standing next to his brother with his arms crossed. He smirked when Jason approached him.

"Rajah, when I met you I didn't know if I had to be afraid of you or if I had to like you."

"Can't say I blame you for thinking that" the Mantrin replied with a chuckle.

He punched the Starfleet Captain to his shoulder in a friendly manor, not thinking about his own strength and the fact that it was a human he was talking to.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Rajah said when Jason groaned softly and bit his teeth.

"Wanna give me something to remember you by eh?" Jason replied smiling through gritted teeth while he clamped his arm.

_Jeez, those guys are really strong. _He shook some more clawed hands with the rest of the Mantrin warship's bridge crew until he came across the two Fjetahna sisters who had a special surprise for him. Kiké and Naea assumed position next to him and licked his cheeks. The girls started to giggle afterwards while he didn't exactly know how to react.

"Oh, you're lucky" Chrysta teased him while he wiped off his cheeks.

After he had reached the end of the row Chrysta and Jason assumed position at a slight distance from the group and contacted their ship.

"Have a safe journey home Captain" Akima said.

"Will do. Energize."

After some last waving at each other, Jason Pierce and his First Officer Chrysta Winter disappeared into a whirlwind of tiny blue stars leaving nothing but empty grass behind. After a one month mission in a parallel universe he was finally going to return to his own universe, to his Earth, to be with his family again after such a long time. When they looked up into the sky, a tiny bright stripe and a flash resembling the USS _Highlander_ warped out of the system, on its way to the starbase and the gate that would bring the ship back its own galaxy where it was build. Shortly after that, the crew of the _Valkyrie_ joined the Mantrin Prince on his way to the Imperial transport shuttle on one of the landing pads of the space port.


	48. Chapter 46 Find a Way to My Heart

**Find a Way to My Heart**

It was a sad day on Sogowa. It was early in the afternoon and the surface of the planet, with its wide variety of tropical and sub-tropical climates was blocked out from any warm rays of its sun. A refreshing rain poured down from the sky, giving birth to new life wherever it touched the ground, driving away the heat together with the cool breeze coming from the sea outside the city gates. The moment the Emperor, his family and the guests he had brought with him to his homeworld entered the palace he asked the crew of the _Valkyrie_ to excuse him and his family and had them taken to guest rooms by his servants. The reason wasn't completely unknown to them since Kero had briefly told them about Myrzah. They were aware of the fact that the oldest member of the House of Tiraya was about to leave this world behind and to become part of something better. The rain added to the whole feeling of sadness that seemed to fill the corridors of the Emperor's house. The right door of Myrzah's room was ajar and Zahn, The'lah, Kero, Rajah and Stith had gathered around her bed. The beeping and whirring medical equipment had been removed from the room to give the old woman the chance to die peacefully and in company of nothing more than the people who cared about her. Myrzah was lying in her bed under the blanket, a pillow supporting her head. Her voice was barely audible when she spoke.

"I'm happy for both of you" she whispered to Stith and Kero.

"Want some advice from a warrior?"

They both nodded briefly with tears in their eyes.

"Enjoy life as it is and take your time. I've seen nothing but wars and suffering and all we wanted to do is fight."

She coughed softly when she sucked in another ragged breath.

"Don't let your eagerness to participate in battle destroy yourself."

The old woman paused, trying to catch her breath she lost so easily. Her glassy eyes found those of Rajah who was fighting a battle with his emotions too. They all loved Myrzah and she had taken a special place in both his hearts too.

"Rajah, the fighter."

She smiled and laughed softly.

"I know you wanna fight son. But don't fight your brother. You two shouldn't be fighting. You love each other."

"I know grandmother" Rajah replied biting his lip.

"Zahn, take good care of my daughter. If she joins me too early your dreams will be unpleasant for the rest of your life."

The old Mantrinesse still managed to chuckle after which she bit her teeth in pain when she tried to move.

"Ow, those knees."

"I will Myrzah, don't worry" Zahn said pressing his softly crying mate against him.

It hurt the old Mantrinesse to see her daughter like this. Softly signing her to come closer, The'lah sunk on her first set of knees beside her mother's bed and rubbed her tearful face against her mother's. Myrzah slowly lifted her skinny left arm from under the blanket and stroke her daughter's cheek.

"Don't cry my child. It's better for me to go. Kirliya is calling me again. It is time."

But The'lah was inconsolable. With her muscular arm on her mother's broken body she cried, with shoulders shaking, overwhelmed by her sorrow.

"Shhh. I know. You don't want me to go."

"I wish you could stay longer" she sobbed.

"You all want me to stay longer, but I have to go now and make 'the crossing'. My body is weak, exhausted."

She was right. The only thing that kept her alive was her own Mantrin stubbornness. Mentally she was still as bright as the day of her first battle but physically she was completely broken. Her daughter was having trouble to accept that but Kero and the others began to realize that she had to go. Walking over to the other side of the bed from where he was standing he placed his hand on his mother's shoulder.

"Mom, its better this way. She's in pain. You don't want her to suffer anymore than we do."

Myrzah let out a soft laugh again.

"See? Even your son has accepted Kirliya's decision. Now it's your turn."

The'lah wiped off her tears and licked her mother's wrinkled cheek for the last time. Embraced by her oldest son's arms she watched how her mother closed her eyes.

"It's time for me to rest now."

"Farewell mom. I hope Kirliya receives you with open arms."

"She's beautiful The'lah" Myrzah whispered.

"She's taking my hand…"

_**Authors note: Music track 35.**_

As they wished her farewell they watched how the master warrior blew out her last breath. When the life drained from her glassy eyes, her head felt to the side. The warrior's soul was taken by The Enlightened herself leaving only her body behind. Not Myrzah, but only her body was defeated. The warrior woman herself was still alive, forever. It continued to rain for the rest of the day, like the planet itself mourned for the death of Myrzah. The sound of the lashing rain pouring down from the sky on the leaves of trees, the grass and the roof of the palace and the houses of the city was calming and had a soothing effect on the members of the Tiraya family who mourned for the death of their oldest family member. Later that day they would give Myrzah her last honor.

In the evening the rain stopped falling. The body of the deceased Mantrinesse was carried to the shrine on the palace grounds by four servants, accompanied by the Palace Guard, the Emperor's family and Stith, who was about to become a member of the House of Tiraya herself. A warrior's body should be treated with the greatest reverence and that was how it was carried out. Inside, Myrzah's body was placed on a small altar under an opening in the roof, the light of Sogowa's two moons casting their shine on her remains. Under the guidance of a group of saints, they held a silence and an honoring for the deceased. It was difficult for some of them, especially The'lah, soundless tears rolling over her cheeks as they honored the great deeds of this remarkable woman. After a last farewell to the Myrzah as they knew her from the outside they honored the warrior's soul as they burned the outer shell to release the spirit, the essence of life to make sure that Kirliya received her soul. If they didn't burn the body, the chance was there that the soul remained trapped inside denying her access to the afterlife. Remembering her as she was, Kero gazed into the fire, feeling the heat warming his skin. Myrzah's spirit was just as much alive as the fire that burned her remains.

Next day the Emperor and his family were crossing the plains of Sogowa just outside the city with a small urn carrying the remains of their family member. The crew of the _Valkyrie_ was also invited to be present at this sad but also very special moment. Walking towards the old gates of the city of Ta'keth they were about to scatter her ashes somewhere beyond the civilized world, in the wilderness just before the outstretched sea that began behind the walls of thecity. Kero and Stith didn't walk with the other Mantrins, but next to their guests. The humans had to keep up the pace because their steps were far smaller in comparison because of their much shorter legs.

"You should have met her you know" the Prince said to Akima.

"Not in the condition she was yesterday of course but when she was still healthy and not in constant pain."

Akima displayed a faint smile. Of course she would have wanted to meet her but when a member of your family is about to join his or her ancestors, it wasn't the time for visits by outsiders. Mantrins were a very private people related to those matters and of course she respected their wishes. She and the rest of the _Valkyrie_'s crew hadn't disturbed the Emperor's family for as long as they honored their dead relative.

"From what you told me about her, I'm sure she was quite the woman."

Kero smiled faintly, his thoughts drifting away to those moments he spend with her in private. She had always been there from him. Her advice was as welcome as the sun on a rainy day and she was the most loving person he knew. It was a sad thing but she had to go.

"Don't take it personally but, you don't know whose remains we're carrying with us."

He sighed.

"Myrzah was known by our people as a great warrior. A woman of honor and pride. She brought victory where others failed. But those last weeks she was fighting the only battle she couldn't win. But before she passed away she taught me one last important lesson. Something I began to realize by myself in the past few weeks."

He looked at Akima directly. It was a bit frightening how those bright blue eyes of him managed to find hers so quickly, so penetrating. Yet they twinkled friendly, reassuring her about the fact that he never would do anything to harm her, or others for that part.

"Just like me, she too began to realize that fighting isn't the only thing worth living for. She told me to enjoy life as it is. Fighting is only a necessity when that way of life is threatened."

He chuckled softly.

"I'm sure there are members of my kind who'd gladly chop off my head for saying that but it's true. You can't deny that, neither can I or any of us."

"She must have been very wise Kero" Akima replied.

"And you too. You realized for yourself what she was thinking before she told you."

Kero nodded.

"You may be right. I've never come to think of it that way."

When they reached the gates of the city the massive stone doors were opened to everyone from the outside. Despite the violent nature of most Mantrins because of their warrior's spirit, they do valued all life on their planet. They tried to live in harmony with nature and because of that, animals weren't kept off from the valley in which the city was located. In case of an emergency, Kero was sure that the old gate could be closed but, with the modern and destructive weaponry, he figured that they wouldn't be of much use in case of an armed conflict. Leaving the city walls behind them the Emperor walked further until he reached the part where the grass couldn't grow further because of the salty soil.

The plains, flanked by the forests and jungles on both hills of the valley eventually turned into the fine white sand of a small beach where the tiny waves of a calm sea hit the shore. Despite the warm temperatures, the slight breeze that was stronger near the shoreline and the crystal clear water that allowed any swimmers to see the bottom of the sea to up to a hundred meters off shore, there was no one to be seen. It was calm, except from the rushing sound of the waves and the sound of a few native flying animals, squealing and squawking, chasing after each other or diving down to the water surface to catch a fish there was absolutely nothing reminding about the fact that they weren't the only sentient beings on this world. The beach was actually a small bay, since on both sides of it the sea was still flanked by jungles and forests on a rough terrain full of hills and rock formations up to a couple of hundred meters forward. Those formations grew higher and higher the farther they looked away from the city. When Akima gazed into the distance she even thought she spotted a glistening waterfall thundering into the deep. It was a marvelous sight. Completely alien and so beautiful.

"Are you ready to let go of her?" Zahn asked his wife who carried the urn.

The'lah sighed and stared at the urn she was holding in her clawed hands, containing the remains of her mother. If she opened that small jar and turned it upside down, she would give back to the nature, what nature had given her mother: Life. It had to be done but she almost had to force herself to pull the urn from her chest. Letting go of something you loved, someone close to you wasn't easy but somehow she had more trouble with it than anticipated.

"I'm… not sure I can" she whispered.

Backing off, to give them some privacy, the crew of the _Valkyrie_ was silent out of respect. Without a single word being spoken, Akima looked at the Emperor's wife, feeling sorry for her. She knew what it was like to lose someone who meant much to you. When she lost her grandmother on the Houston colony she couldn't held back the tears either and the wound also took time to heal. The wound the death of her mother inflicted on The'lah would heal too over time but not in such a short amount of time. Everyone tried to comfort the poor Goureg female. Even Stith encouraged her to be strong, not letting herself to be consumed by grief.

"You mother wouldn't have wanted you to spend the rest of your life mourning for her" Stith said.

"I know that because I've lost my mother too, at very young age. And I knew my mother. She wouldn't have wanted me spend my life grieving until the end of days."

"That's terrible" The'lah replied weakly.

"You have to let go of her mom" Rajah added.

"We don't want you to be unhappy" Kero said his ears in a drooped down position.

He didn't want his mother to be sad. He wanted her to be happy, laugh, and have fun in her life like she always did. The'lah smiled faintly, biting her lip. With a deep sigh she finally gave in.

"We'll do it together" she decided.

With one clawed hand of each family member, including Stith placed on the turn, they turned the small stone jar upside down. With a little help from the planet itself, the ashes got carried away with the wind, taking her remains, scattering all that was left of her over the plains, the forests, the rivers and the seas of Sogowa.

The'lah wiped off the tears that had formed in her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Now that she did it, it looked like an enormous load dropped from her shoulders. It was the first time she had to do this. Her father had died an honorable warrior's death, just like everyone wanted nowadays. Myrzah was one of the few selected members of her race that lived long enough to get old. Because of the long absence of an armed conflict between the Empire and another alien race, the number of elders had slightly risen in the past few years. But due to the new conflict raging across the galaxy and beyond it would probably go back to how it was. _Why do all of us want to die young?_ _Are they afraid to grow old?_ As they walked back to the city, she began to think about what her mother told Kero just before she passed away.

"Enjoy life as it is."

_Have we forgotten how to enjoy life?_ It dazzled her as she thought about it. If Myrzah was right about that, they could very well be extinct in a couple of hundred years, maybe sooner with this war going on. Eventually she decided to put it aside and think about the planning for tomorrow. Her oldest son was about to get married, traditional style and that was something to look forward to. The entire city would probably be awake the whole night and her son would let them hear his singing voice. He really wasn't the regular guy and she was even more amazed when he told her he had selected a song from the humans to sing for his beloved one. She didn't know what to expect from him anymore but it was proving to be something that no one would ever forget.

Next day in the morning Akima woke up with the sound of twittering birds in her ears. The warm rays of the sun falling through one of the windows in the guest room she and Cale shared woke her up in a most pleasant and natural way. _What a difference from the first night. _She just couldn't sleep the first time she spend the night here. It had nothing to do with being in the house of the Emperor but Kero's grandmother seemed to have left something behind the day she died. Now that she was given her last farewell she had never quite slept the way she did this time. Looking around the room that could easily provide the whole crew with enough room to sleep she spotted Cale. They shared the huge double bed, actually meant for two Mantrin bodies in sleeping position. He seemed so far away. They easily had about half a meter to spare in between them and she wasn't even lying close to the edge. Cale slept half on his belly with his head turned away from her, snoring softly. A warm smile appeared on her face. She stretched herself out and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Today was the day that the Prince of the Empire was about to become married to her best friend. That was sure something to look forward to. She and the rest of the crew were already honored to be invited to the House of the Emperor himself but being a guest on his son's marriage? She decided to lie down for a moment and think about a little planning for today.

_Fresh myself up, have breakfast, help them prepare…_ She had heard that it would probably last till next morning. She moved closer to the edge of the bed, trying to find her wristcom. with build-in chrono by touch. According to the device it was now ten past nine in the morning, Earth standard time after compensating for the time differential. Tossing it back on the small bedside table she let herself fall back in the pillows, closing her eyes for a moment, listening to Cale's breathing. Until her fiancée's snoring became rather annoying. With her face twisted in irritation after a rather loud one she stretched her leg and jabbed him in the back with her foot. The snoring abruptly ended with an annoyed grumble until after a minute or two it started again. This time he actually felt it when she hit him. Slowly turning and stretching himself out in a rather exaggerated way he spotted the annoyed expression of his beloved one. And innocent smile crept along his face.

"Hi honey, why did you have to wake me up like that?" Akima chuckled softly.

"Hmm, you were making an awful lot of sounds my ears didn't seem to like."

"Sorry, I've had the feeling someone drugged me last night."

The last words of his sentence ended in a long yawn. Akima laughed. She had that feeling too. But she decided to get out of bed. The Emperor was probably waiting for them to have breakfast and she didn't want to keep the ruler of the Mantrin Empire waiting.

Sharing breakfast with the Imperial family, Akima was amazed again when seeing the enormous collection of dishes displayed for them to enjoy just like yesterday morning. Had the atmosphere been a little gloomy the first time, this time the Emperor welcomed them with a toothy smile. She just knew she was going to eat too much again. Everything was so delicious and must be tried at least twice. It was close to perfect if it weren't for the absence of two people.

"Shouldn't we wait for your son and Stith to join us?"

Zahn let out a barking laugh when he sat down beside her, The'lah on his left side.

"Haven't they told you? They left yesterday in the late afternoon. According to our wedding traditions they have to spend a full day in the wild with nothing but each other before marriage."

"Makes you strong" Zahn said on a jovial tone, tensing the powerful muscles in his arms.

The'lah who was sitting next to her husband laughed.

"Yeah right, I can remember a certain guy who promised to catch us the biggest piece of meat on legs he could find."

"Shhh, that's private" Zahn tried to shut her mouth before it was too late.

However The'lah couldn't resist telling.

"We had to fill our stomachs with fruit for a full day because he couldn't catch anything faster."

"You can't say I didn't try" Zahn replied with a shrug, his cheeks turning red.

"You were just too slow" The'lah said with a laugh.

She bowed closer to him, rubbing her muzzle to his neck.

"But I love you."

Grabbing a piece of fruit from the bowl closest to him Zahn continued.

"Anyway, if they truly want to marry each other they will return just before the ceremony."

He took a big bite from the fruit that looked like a small sort of water melon, juice dripping from his muzzle.

"It's not good if they come back before, then it's off."

"Zahn! Empty your mouth before you speak!" The'lah warned him watching the rain of juice coming down on the table.

Doing as she said he continued.

"Since it's a traditional wedding which is less common here on Sogowa than in the colonies, my son is going to sing for his beloved one and then they have to go through the ritual of eternal love through pain and suffering."

Akima raised an eyebrow. Stith never told her much about the marriage of her species and she had expected something rough but that sounded more like torture.

"And what do I have to imagine by that?"

"That it's painful and that they have to go through it together as a token of true love."

When the Emperor saw the human woman's mouth falling open he simply shrugged.

"Traditionally, if another male had an eye on Stith too there would have been a fight preceding the ceremony, if necessary till death."

Most of the _Valkyrie_'s crew stopped eating, staring at the Emperor as if he just killed his own son.

"Dad, you're exaggerating" Rajah said rather nonchalant.

"He's right" The'lah said to put the crew's mind at ease.

"Fighting till death hasn't been done for years. If two males are set on fighting it is only until one of them is unable to continue."

Glad that she told them about this new fact the crew let out a figurative sigh of relief. None of them had an idea that a wedding could be that complex. Most species had certain rituals preceding the wedding but the Mantrins certainly made sure that divorces were rare. If you had to go through all of this for the woman you loved you had to be prepared to die for her. As they continued their easy and very extensive breakfast, two Mantrins in particular had to catch breakfast first.

A couple of kilometers from the city in the middle of the jungle, two Mantrins who had only each other and the inhabitants of the forest as company woke up. It was like waking to a dream for her after spending all those years in outer space. Aboard space ships, space stations and on other worlds, waking up in the middle of a forest, the sounds of nature and the rushing of a river tumbling into the deep a couple of meters further was a welcome change. Slowly opening her eyes, sunlight caressing her face, soft grass supporting her body and the wonderful smell of the forest in her nostrils, Stith slowly scrambled to her feet. A yawn escaping her beak as she stood up and stretched her legs and back. Scratching her itchy back she looked aside. Kero was still asleep near the remains of the campfire they had made last night. A little warmth was welcome when the sun was gone and it kept the wild animals that used these forests and jungles as their hunting grounds away. Kero was lying on his back in the grass, snoring softly, his exposed barrel chest rising and descending with each breath. They weren't even allowed to wear clothes, only something to cover the private parts and in her case her breasts.

"Living in the wild is not exactly my thing" she thought with a snort.

Careful not to wake him she sneaked away, following the large river. The water rushed by at high speed, faster the closer she came to the cliff. With the trees of the forest behind her she placed her feet on the rocky plateau, warmed by the late morning sun that formed the edge of the river bank. The sky was as clear as crystal, birds spreading their wings above her head. In front and far beneath her, the jungle spread itself out as far as the eye could see. The waterfall tumbled into the deep from a staggering height at her right and the sea began at her far left. When she gazed into the distance, she could just see the highest towers of the Imperial palace in the distance. _Korso had been right when he described it as one of their fairytales. _It was a marvelous sight indeed, a sight where one could lose oneself into. Someone who had a taste from it never wanted to wake up somewhere else and not see this when they opened their eyes.

She flicked an ear when she heard something behind her. Knowing that it could only be one person she waited until she felt a hand on her shoulder and a friendly voice in her ear.

"It really is beautiful isn't it?" he said when she rested her head on his warm chest.

"I wouldn't want to trade this sight for any other."

Purring softly when she licked his cheek his eyes caught the place where one of the spinner drones cut her shoulder. Medical technology was quite advanced these days but there was still the trace of a scar left. When she noticed that he was studying her arm she rubbed the spot with her hand.

"I know. They treated it with one of those regenerators but it still hasn't fully healed yet."

"Maybe you should let our doctor look at it. I'm sure that…"

"Leave it" she interrupted.

"Leave it as a token of what we've been through together. A sign of our courage, our persistence and our skills."

He nodded and left it for what it was. What he had noticed was that Stith was a woman who kept some traditions intact. She truly knew what it meant to be a member of the Mantrin species and he wondered if she might had that from her mother. Otrin had described her as 'just like her mother' and Mestral had been an honorable warrior. He just knew he made the right decision when he agreed to be her mate. And tonight it was going to happen. Then they would be a married couple, only to be separated again by death itself.

Later that day they began on the long walk back to the city through the forests until they eventually stood on one of the hills of the valley overlooking the city. The sun was already descending, the sky a gorgeous mixture of orange and pink. Beneath them the city stretched itself out and the inhabitants seemed to be gathering on the palace grounds, in the large gardens surrounding the complex. Of course everyone was going to celebrate. The Prince of the Empire was getting married, all the reason for throwing a party. With his arm around Stith's shoulder he was studying all the commotion down below for them only. He had announced that he would put his singing voice to the test and he thought he spotted some kind of stage in the middle of the gardens, surrounded by people who were almost trying to walk over each other's heads in order to make it to the front rows. It had taken him a day or two to memorize the lines, to pick out traditional Mantrin instruments that made the sounds closest to the instruments used in the human song. Even with the help of a computer which analyzed the song and cross-linked the sounds in the song with the sound of all the instruments of Mantrin origin it had been difficult. He even had to find a few other musicians who could play the instruments to make it sound perfect. Frustration had been part of it but eventually he got it right. Confident that it would work out he turned to Stith for the last time.

"Are you certain you wanna go through with this?" he asked her.

She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Absolutely."

"I have a big surprise for you" he said getting enthusiastic now that they were so close to the city.

He was experiencing the condition of what humans called 'having butterflies in your stomach'.

"Hmm, I rarely like surprises. But only if I'm the victim" she said with a laugh.

"You're gonna like it, I promise."

Together they started the last piece of their walk to the city. Reciting the lines of the song in his head, Kero just knew he could do it. For a moment it was like he had written those lines by himself. They just came to him. Like he was listening to the romantic rhythm of his own two hearts and write down what they told him. Love was in the air and singing was just one of many ways to express it.

After freshen up themselves a little and putting on their uniforms they spend their last moments in private. Outside they could already hear the clamoring of the inhabitants of the city and in Kero's case, his audience. Ready to do it, he grabbed Stith's clawed hand with his and walked with her down the stairs of the palace until they reached the ground level. He could already hear the musicians tuning their instruments and playing a few notes or a short melody to ensure everything was perfect. The moment he stepped outside he was greeted by the downing sun, spreading its last rays over the heads of the attendants. The gardens around the palace were far too small for all of the city's inhabitants as everyone wanted to catch a glimpse from the Prince and his fiancée.

"Look at all those people" Stith brought out in astonishment.

Kero was glad she liked it so far and he guided her in front of the stage where he would pour out both his hearts to her. She had to be at the very best spot. An advanced sound system had been installed to make sure that everyone got to hear what his hearts had to tell. The moment he climbed the stage, assumed the position in the middle, slightly in front of the background singers he felt overexcited. He was handed a small mouthpiece to amplify his already mighty voice which he attached behind his left ear. He could even spot the crew of the _Valkyrie_ in front of the crowd. They had been given VIP places because if they would get caught in the crowd, they would be trampled underfoot. Waiting the musicians to give him the ready sign he began to speak first.

_**Authors note: Music track 36 (Kero's song).**_

"First of all, I wanted to tell you all how excited I am to be here tonight."

He was slightly amazed at the sound of his own voice. So powerful, amplified by the sound system and yet so natural. As he spoke the musicians started to play the melody of the song, encouraging to let the audience hear his voice. But first he had to tell them something.

"We have been through a lot together, fought together and got through it in one piece."

He gestured at Stith who was standing in the middle of the attention, in front of the crowd, together with all the VIP guests and his parents. His crew was here too, at least most of them. The people who he had worked with more closely.

"Tonight, I will finally give this strong and beautiful woman my love until death itself separates us."

His eyes now found Stith's; ready to pledge his undying love for her.

"Stith, this is for you."

Her eyes sparkled with joy and pure happiness. He had never seen her like this, so different from the tough woman he got to know in the past weeks.

With the music in his ears, the drums starting to do their thing and the refrain approaching the words came to him like by themselves.

"_Find a way to my heart, and I will always be with you  
From wherever you are, I'll be waiting"_

As soon as the first words crossed his lips, he heard the audience cheering. He had studied the text before he began to practice and came to realize that it really had meaning. It described so well what he felt for her at the moment. And she understood it just as well as he did. She was shining, mesmerized by his ability to sing, to describe his feelings for her in such a special way. It was what he had hoped for. And with the cheers of Ta'keth's inhabitants encouraging him, the second part of the refrain came out fluently.

"_I'll keep a place in my heart, you will see it shining through  
So find a way to my heart, and I will, I will follow you"_

He didn't exactly know what singing did to him but he sure knew that it felt great. The sound of his voice was appreciated, the song was beautiful and the meaning added a romantic touch to the whole thing, just as he hoped for.

"Your brother is a really good singer Rajah" Akima said to the younger Mantrin Prince who was just as staggered as she was. He shook his head, his ears flapping around lazily.

"I can hardly believe it myself. It's a human song right?"

"Yeah, and I must say that he picked out one hell of a song" Akima replied, listening to Kero's voice.

The Prince's face was radiating pure happiness. He himself felt it too. It were no longer lines from a song he was reciting. He was giving his hearts to the person he loved.

Falling completely in love with Cale as she listened to the words, Akima suddenly grabbed his face and kissed him, long and passionately. She didn't care that a few people looked, for her sake the whole universe could know that they were in love. Cale didn't know how to react at first but after a split second he answered her love, fiery, as engaged in a romantic dance. When they released each other he looked her in her eyes, ready to ask the question Kero was going to ask Stith in a couple of moments.

"And now you expect me to ask you the question?" he asked closing off everything happening around him.

Akima laughed and smiled.

"And you only want one answer" she whispered.

"Akima? Will you marry me?"

"The answer is yes."

Shortly after that she kissed him again, and in a response he lifted her off the ground and turned a small circle. Shortly after that, Cale noticed that Rajah's wristcom. beeped and that the Prince hastily elbowed his way through the audience shortly after he answered the call. Seeking a private moment inside the palace, where no one could hear what his superiors had to tell. The small holographic projector displayed the three-dimensional image of a commanding officer in front of his face.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Rajah, I know about your brother but this is a matter of utmost concern."

Reacting professionally, knowing what could be at stake, Rajah remained calm under it. He swallowed the disappointment with a lash of his tail.

"I understand sir. What's the situation?"

"You better come over here immediately. Its Genesis."

A flash of recognition pierced though his mind. In an instant he know what the Commander was talking about. Galen. The Genesis project. He had been a voluntary test subject too, so he knew that doctor Galen was experimenting on a level far beyond anything attempted before. He had to go, no exceptions.

"I'm on my way sir" he replied with a nod.

"Rajah out."

Deactivating his wristcom. he cursed out loud. Whispering a soft 'forgive me' he left the palace, to wish the humans goodbye. They probably wouldn't be here when he returned.

"I'm sorry guys; I wish you all the best."

"But this is your brother's marriage" Akima said.

"I wish I could have stayed, but it's very important. I have to go."

Watching how he disappeared in the ground, Akima raised an eyebrow. He left in a rather hurry. _Could it be trouble? _She decided not to think about it. It would only ruin the party.

Before singing the last refrain, Kero reached for Stith's hand. She took it, climbing on the stage until she stood next to him as he sang the last part of the song. With his arm flung around her shoulders, he waited until the background singers took over from him and the music continued. He had seen what happened. He had seen how Cale proposed to Akima and how his brother received a sudden call and disappeared after which he left. He was a bit disappointed that his brother couldn't be here as he married the woman he loved but it couldn't be a reason. Rajah had left on rather odd moments before but now he had at least an idea why and where he would go. But instead he looked into the eyes of Stith and took a deep breath.

"Stith, will you be my mate?"

For a moment she returned the look, still mesmerized by his performance. How could she refuse? It was what she wanted.

"Yes, I want to be your mate, forever."

She flung both her arms around his neck and embraced him, tightly. And as the music continued to play, Kero looked up at the sky where the last rays of the sun began to disappear, uncertain what the future would bring them.

A couple of lightyears from Sogowa's location on the galactic map, the Iridana nebula was a massive gas cloud with nothing but a few asteroids, trace elements and stellar dust as its primary composition. It was a place to be avoided by most ships as it was dangerous to navigate through it. Deep inside this very nebula, something flickered. It wasn't strong at first but it continued to grow in intensity by the minute. Flashes of energy ionizing everything around them, including the dust of the nebula, emitting radiation. This was watched by no one from this size of the tunnel but at the other end, in another universe, ships were waiting to enter, to cross the border into the unknown. To use it as a means of escape, escape from their own brothers and sisters. Without a purpose, rejected for what they were, they needed to go elsewhere…

The brain is still the most mysterious organ in the entire body, either human or alien, it makes no difference. But the mind is also the most powerful. In some cases more powerful than you can imagine. Physical strength was nothing compared to the power of the mind. In some cases that was only a half truth. But in others, it was more than true. It was fundamental for what they were. Opening his eyes in a strange environment he knew nothing. He didn't knew where he was, not knowing what he was. He didn't even had a name. There was only a certain basic instinct. He was floating in some kind of fluid, or at least it was different from what _he_ was made off, or the transparent walls, or the things holding him in place. It was easier to manipulate. The tiny building blocks, that made up everything moved around each other. But he felt, he sensed there was more behind the walls. The solid walls that kept him and the fluid behind them. He could sense others like him behind those walls, calling, hearing their thoughts. His instinct told him that he had to join them. That he had to get out of here. Concentrating on the transparent walls, vaguely distinguishing the figures moving behind them he tried if he could focus on the tiny blocks where it was made off. Moving them, pulling them apart until the first cracks began to appear. _I must get out of here. I must break free…_

**THE END?**


	49. Chapter 47 End Credits

_**Authors note: Music track 37 (End Credits)**_

**Shattered Universe© - Titan A.E. - Twilight**

**Story written by: Specter06**

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**Music by: Specter06**

**Original music tracks composed by:**

**Busted**

**David Newman**

**Jeremy Soule and Julian Soule**

**Jerry Goldsmith**

**Phil Collins**

**Steve Jablonsky**

**Steward Copeland**

**Two Steps from Hell **

**and others**

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**Cast:**

**All characters are played by themselves**

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**Special Thanks:**

**Beta-readers:**

**JyrFalcon345**

**Hurricane Jane**

**Shane Ward**

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**Reviewers:**

**JACO GROEN (A good friend of mine)**

**JyrFalcon345 (Yep again)**

**Kaiyt**

**Swashbucklist (Encouraged me to start working on that rewrite)**

**Yasunari**


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